Grounded
by DearCassius
Summary: Thor and Loki haven't been getting along lately and it's really wearing on Odin's nerves. As a punishment, he sends them to Earth to attend a mortal school. But when a dangerous new threat arises, will they be able to learn the real value of brotherhood?
1. Prologue

**_Author's Note:_ I've gone back and edited the entire story, taking out the author's notes and fixing as many mistakes as I could find. I've also added more detail. This will be the only note throughout the entire story, so if you have any questions at all, please PM me and I'll clear it up for you. Thank you for reading, and be sure to check out the two sequels to this when you're finished. Enjoy!**

**-Sketch**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>"Thor! Where are you?" Loki called as he wandered the halls of the palace, searching for his older brother, who was currently nowhere to be found.<p>

Loki sighed, cursing Thor under his breath. _Where was he?_ Of course, whenever Loki didn't want him, he seemed to be everywhere. But now that Loki actually needed him, he was gone. Typical.

He turned another corner and headed out to the training courtyard. At the moment, it was filled with soldiers practicing sword fighting, archery, and the likes. Loki never had much of an interest in physical feats, preferring to study magic and literature. He found it to be much more useful then acts of strength and valor. Unfortunately, the majority of Asgard did not agree with his standpoint.

Unbeknownst to many, however, Loki did work on his sword technique whenever he was completely solitary, but that was a secret he'd rather not share.

Loki stood and studied the crowd of people, knowing that if Thor was anywhere, it would be here showing off his skills. Sure enough, Loki soon spotted his brother's blonde hair, glinting in the sun. He was in a battle against Sif, their mutual friend.

"Thor! THOR!" Loki called, attempting to gain his elder brother's attention.

Thor heard his name being called, and he froze mid-swing, turning around to search for the source of the noise. He spotted Loki, who was frantically gesturing for him to join him. Thor threw down his sword, apologized to Sif for having to leave, and jogged swiftly over to where his younger brother was standing.

"Where have you _been_? The meeting started twenty minutes ago," Loki asked, glaring up at his much taller fifteen-year-old (in Asgardian years, obviously) brother. "Don't you remember? We were to walk down together, as Father ordered us to. I waited for nearly ten minutes, but when you never showed up, so I went and searched for you."

Thor merely blinked in utter confusion. "What meeting are you talking about, brother?" Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Is this another one of your tricks?"

"Oh, no. Please don't tell me you forgot the all important meeting that Father told us both about this morning." Loki shook his head, but he wasn't exactly surprised at his brother's blunt stupidity.

Thor just stared at him, his small brain not comprehending what Loki was talking about.

"I can't believe you. Father will have your head if he finds out you've forgotten already!" Loki cried desperately. "Come! We must not keep them waiting any longer!"

He grabbed Thor's arm, spun around, and attempted the drag him along the corridor. Thor stood rooted in his spot, not paying any mind to Loki's insistent pulling. He shuffled through his mind, trying to figure it out.

Realization suddenly dawned on Thor's face. "Wait... You mean that I forgot about THE meeting? How come nobody reminded me that it was today?" Thor asked angrily.

Loki almost face-palmed. With an exasperated sigh, he very carefully explained, "We did remind you. Several times. Including this morning at breakfast."

"Oh, no, Loki," Thor groaned, being ever the obnoxious idiot Loki knew him to be. "We must go! Hel, we're going to be in _so _much trouble."

Thor proceeded to run, then, with Loki trailing behind him. The brothers dashed through the winding halls of Asgard, coming to a stop when they reached the large bronze doors to the throne room where the meeting was being held.

Thor marched boldly through the doors, making as grand an entrance as he possibly could. Loki slinked in after him, sticking to the walls as to not be noticed.

Odin sat atop his magnificent throne, Queen Frigga at his side. All the kings' advisors were also present, and none of them were looking very pleased. In fact, each and every occupant of the spacious room, save for even-tempered Frigga, was glaring daggers at the two boys.

Thor's look of boldness melted into a sheepish grin to match his brother's.

"Forgive our tardiness, Father. Thor had forgotten about the meeting entirely, and I went to find him so he would not miss out on something as important as this," Loki said smoothly, stepping from the shadows, and being ever the silver tongue he was.

Thor turned to his younger brother and began to protest. "I did _not_ forget, Loki! It merely slipped my mind! That's all!"

"_What_ mind, exactly, are you talking about? Oh, pray, do tell," Loki retaliated, a smirk forming on his pale face.

Before Thor could even begin to think of a comeback to that, Odin stopped them both.

"Boys! _Enough!_ This is the third time this month that you have forgotten a meeting, Thor. And you, Loki, are constantly starting fights with your brother. This is not how your mother and I raised you," he all but yelled, completely exasperated.

"Odin... Calm yourself..." Frigga warned, attempting to settle her husband down.

Odin shook her off and angrily stood, descending the gilded stairs to the marble floor. He marched over to the boys who quelled under his furious look. They had never seen their father act this way before, and quite frankly, it was rather frightening.

"You two need to start acting your age! You need _punishment_." With a loud clang that echoed around the hall, he brought his Gungnir down on the tile.

"W-what kind of punishment, Father..?" Thor asked in a small voice, shrinking back.

Odin thought for a moment, and then continued, "You will live amongst the mortals for no less than six months and longer if need be. You will attend a mortal school for this time, and you _will not_ complain. Perhaps this will teach you to think once and a while."

"Odin! This is absolutely unreasonable. Please, rethink this!" Frigga urged, also standing.

"Hush, Frigga! They need this. They'll have to learn how to deal with mortals eventually, anyways, and this is the golden opportunity. Now go, pack your belongings. You will leave tomorrow morning at sunrise." He then dismissed the brothers with a wave of his hand.

Thor and Loki exchanged nervous glances, and then scurried out of the throne room to begin preparing for the long, possibly tortuous, next six months.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

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><p>Loki was having a very bad day. The bell rang just as he reached his locker, signaling the beginning of his next class. Being late was extremely unlike him, and he prided himself for being very on schedule- most of the time, at least.<p>

But this was different. Here he was, the god of mischief, attending a small public school smack in the middle of Midgard. More specifically, a place called… Actually, he couldn't even remember where they were. His father had used magic to trick a family of mortals into thinking that Thor and he were actually their children as well so they would have somewhere to stay while on Earth. He couldn't believe his bad luck.

And to top it all off, he could _not _open a mortal locker to save his life.

Loki stood there for a moment, pondering the situation. He considered busting open the metal locker using his magic, but then he remembered that he was strictly not allowed to use magic except in the case of an emergency. Did this qualify as an emergency? Probably not, he decided. He doubted his father would understand his reasoning.

Next, he thought of going to class without his books but eventually ruled that out as well. His next teacher had threatened him with death-by-yard stick if he were to ever forget his book. Loki, however, did not see why this book was so important because he knew all the subject matter in the textbook. He had realized that last night as he was skimming through it out of boredom.

He was about to give up and use magic after all, when a girl's voice from behind him said, "Um... Need a little help there with that locker?"

Loki realized how pathetic he must've looked, staring at his locker with such a hopeless expression, so he straightened his back and turned to face the girl. She was of medium height, thin, but strong looking. She had messy, curly hair and stormy grey eyes. Quite average looking, in Loki's modest opinion. She was nothing compared to the maidens of Asgard.

"No, thank you. I believe I can take care of myself," he responded coolly.

"Well, all right then." She walked several feet away and opened a different locker with ease. Loki assumed it was her own.

He went back to twisting the knob, attempting once more to open it as she had opened hers. Of course, it was to no avail. The locker remained tightly shut. He kicked it and then leaned against it, extremely irritated now.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" the girl asked yet again. Embarrassed, Loki stood back up because he had completely forgotten that she was still standing there watching him struggle.

Loki weighed his options. He hated the idea of asking for help especially from a mortal, but he was rather desperate...

"Yes, please," he finally agreed with a sigh and stepped aside.

"What's your com?" she asked, stepping up to the locker and resting her hand on the dial.

"My... What?" Loki asked, bewildered. He had only been on Midgard for two days, and he had not yet learned their strange terms fully yet.

"Your com... You know... The little numbers that will open the locker? The combination?" she clarified, giving him a rather odd look.

"Oh... Oh! Yes, of course. Let's see, 35-45-16." he recited, glancing at his class schedule where the numbers had been scrawled at the top.

She nodded, smoothly dialing them in. A moment later, the locker swung open.

"Th-thank you," he said, slightly embarrassed that a mortal had shown him up at something as basic as opening a large metal box. Loki then started sifting through the contents of the locker, searching for his much needed book.

"Anytime." She smiled at him while he dug through the junk at the bottom of the locker. "Hey, you're new here, aren't you? I haven't seen you around. My name is Andelyn, by the way. Andelyn Hanson. Ande for short."

_Andelyn?_ _What strange names these Midgardians give to their children_, Loki thought to himself as he finally succeeded in finding the book.

"I am Luke Odinson. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Loki sighed to himself, unhappy with the fake 'mortal' name that he had been given. He would have much preferred going by Loki, but his father felt that would arise suspicion. Loki didn't see how it would; Mortals were not bright enough to realize that there was a god in their presence. They had long since renounced the old ways.

"Nice to meet you," Ande said with a smile, sticking out her hand. Loki, not sure of what it meant, just stared at her in confusion until she let her arm drop.

She glanced at the book Loki had selected out of his locker and grim recognition was apparent on her face.

"You have Mr. Spindler next? Ugh. I'm sorry. I do too. Come on, we're late enough. I'll show you a short cut to his class," she offered.

Loki nodded his approval of the plan, and they set off together. He was relieved that he had made at least one friend, though compared to his brother Thor's thirty new friends it wasn't much. But perhaps he wouldn't have to sit alone at lunch today as he had yesterday.

Maybe his day wouldn't be so bad after all.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Thor, on the other hand, was having a great day from the very start. Because it only was his second day amongst the mortals, he too was still getting used to their strange customs, much like his brother. He had to don mortal clothes (which were very strange); he had to learn to follow a paper class schedule; he had to use an alias, a fake name. Thor was now known as Trevor Odinson, Ninth Grade Extraordinaire.

He did not, however, consider these things as setbacks unlike Loki–or should he say Luke?–did.

In fact, Thor thought these mortal customs were quite endearing. He actually enjoyed his mortal name and thought that it did not demean him, but rather gave him character. As for the other things such as eating mortal food and wearing mortal clothing… Well, these were not a problem.

He was adjusting very rapidly to his new climate, and in a matter of two short days, he had accumulated quite the collection of followers. Thor attributed it to his charming personality and rugged good looks. Plus, having an unusual accent seemed to help in his favor as well.

His teachers adored him and he could tell that he was quickly growing in popularity at this small mortal school.

So, naturally, Thor did not see what Loki kept complaining about.

Sure, he missed Asgard. This place was certainly different from his home realm. People behaved so... strangely here. Take this morning, for example.

Thor had been walking along the crowded hallway this morning alone, except for the large, giggling mob of girls following him. Every so often, he'd turn his head and give a small wink, which would set them off squealing. Women on Asgard did not act in this way, and Thor had grown to think of it as a game: see how many people he could get to follow him at one time in the halls between classes.

His current record was eighteen girls and two boys.

So there he was, walking along, when suddenly he was stopped in his path by a rather large and meaty wall. Thor, unsuspecting, ran straight into it.

It didn't faze him, being the tough god of thunder that he was, and he backed up several steps to start to go around it.

"Not so fast, newbie," the wall of flesh said, glowering at Thor. "I hear you've been chatting up my girlfriend, and I ain't too happy bout that."

Thor raised his eyebrows and flashed a smirk towards the guy he had previously run into.

"And how exactly does one such as you acquire a girlfriend?" he said, feeling proud of his clever comeback. He was sure silver-tongued Loki would have approved as well.

"Think you're so tough?" the other boy said. "Fight me. Today, after school, behind the soccer field. We'll see how tough you are then." He chuckled, attempting to be menacing.

"All right then. The entire school can then see you be taken down. By me. _Nobody_ can best me," Thor said with a supreme air of confidence.

The boy chuckled again and rolled his eyes, walking away.

Thor's own personal fan club then surrounded him, offering words of encouragement.

"Oh, don't listen to him!" one said, stroking his arm.

"He doesn't stand a chance against someone as strong as you, Trevor!" another cried.

"That Greg Smithson is nothing but talk! He doesn't have the guts," a third one said, batting her eyelids.

Ah. So Greg Smithson was his name. Thor made a mental note to ask Loki about him later. His brother was like a walking library and Thor knew he must know something about this son of Smith.

Breaking out of his reverie, he said "Thank you ladies, for the fine words of encouragement, but I really must be going. Wouldn't want to be late!" Thor flashed them another one of his alluring smiles, and they all swooned.

He walked off, heading up the stairs. One way or another, he would best this boy at whatever duel he challenged him to, be it jousting, archery, or even fetter breaking, Thor was certain he would succeed and come out on top. He was absolutely sure of it.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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><p>After the small set back with the locker, the rest of Loki's day went by much more smoothly. The Norns seemed to smile on him for once, instead of frown and glare as they usually did.<p>

He even learned how to correctly open a locker with ease, thanks to his newly found acquaintance, Ande. Loki refused to refer to her as a friend, though she did sit with him at lunch and then walked with him to the library afterwards.

Loki quite enjoyed this mortal library. Of course, it was nothing compared to Asgard's library, but he had basically read everything his home had to offer by the time he turned nine years old. This Midgard library had new subject matter, which he found rather entertaining.

Loki and Ande sat in armchairs next to each other, both fully immersed in their novels. It was peaceful, or at least it was, until Thor found them.

"Brother... I need to talk to you about something..." he said nervously, shuffling his feet around.

Loki raised his eyebrows in surprise. Thor hadn't even spoken to him since the incident that caused them to be sent here, but nevertheless, Loki placed his book aside, got up, and followed him. Thor led him over to an empty table and they both sat down.

"Brother... I need your help," Thor began. "I sort of have an issue."

Loki sighed and said, "Did you forget how to tie your shoes again?"

"No! Well, yes, but that's not what I wanted to ask you about."

Loki rolled his eyes and waited for Thor to continue. Thor sat there for a moment, rocking back and forth on his seat and biting his lip.

"I have a duel after school today," he finally admitted, hanging his head.

"You _what_?" Loki nearly shrieked. "Thor, you bigoted idiot! Father sent us here to keep us out of trouble, not to cause it. It's only our second day here, and you have already challenged someone to a duel."

"It wasn't me, I swear! This kid–well not really a_ kid_, more like an elephant–he came up to me in the hallway and said there was to be a fight after school. And I would have looked like a coward if I were to have declined!" Thor said frantically.

"Because your image is all that matters, right?" Loki sighed. He would honestly never understand his brother's consistent need to appear best at everything.

"Yes. So will you help me? Please brother?" the elder brother pleaded.

"Fine, fine!" Loki snapped. "What do you need _my _help for, anyway?"

"I need information on this kid I am to battle. His name is Greg... Um... Gregson. No, Smithhead. No, Smithson," Thor said, feeling rather proud that he had managed to remember the name for more than fifteen minutes.

"And you expect me to know about him? What am I, a walking _library_?" Loki said, exasperated.

"Yes. You are. Just... find out what you can about him and then tell me. And... if there is anything else you can do to help me win, do that as well." And with that, Thor walked off, leaving Loki at the table.

The god of mischief stood and walked back to the chairs where he had left Ande, still reading her book. Loki sat back down and picked up his novel.

She glanced up and saw his irritated face. "That was your brother? Is everything okay?"

"He was having a crisis, as usual. No big matter, he just got into a rough spot with another boy," Loki explained.

Now he had to start finding out about this Smithson that Thor was having difficulties with. He doubted it was over some small matter like not sharing or something, like Thor and Loki used to get into fights about. And as much as his brother bothered him, he had to help him. There was no way he could let Thor get hurt. But how was he supposed to find out about the boy Thor would be going up against? He supposed he could always ask Ande and see what she knew. But would that be enough?

And then Thor also wanted him to help beat Smithson. _How_, though? Loki wasn't a fighter. He felt his pulse quicken with stress and dearly hoped it wouldn't cause him to spontaneously turn invisible. He tended to do that when he became stressed. Loki hadn't quite mastered his powers of sorcery yet.

That was when an idea struck him faster then Tyr would if you messed with his extravagant sword collection – and Loki had had plenty experience with that.

He knew _exactly_ what he could do to help Thor.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Thor confidently strode through the hallways. One more class to go until the duel–until he showed off his mad skill. He couldn't have been happier.

He also couldn't have been more worried. Just look at the size of that Smithson boy! He was huge! Thor would even bet that he was bigger then Volstagg, which was a feat in itself. Any warrior would be scared.

That is, any warrior except for Thor. He was _not_ scared. More of... slightly concerned. Oh, how he hoped Loki had pulled through with his side of the bargain.

He entered the classroom and was immediately bombarded with questions about the upcoming face off. Word apparently travels fast in a school so small.

The class was a mix of advanced eighth graders and slow ninth graders, which accurately described both Loki and Thor, so they had this class together. He waved off the questions with a flashy grin and joined his brother in the corner desk that he occupied.

Loki looked up from the book he was reading when he heard the heavy thud of Thor's feet approaching him.

"Brother! So, did you find out anything?" Thor whispered, though his whisper was roughly equivalent to an average man's regular speaking voice.

"I did, as a matter of fact. My... acquaintance, Andelyn, happens to know the boy quite well-" Loki started, but Thor cut him off.

"_You_ made a friend? A friend who's a _girl_? Oh, Loki has a girlfriend! A mortal girlfriend!" Thor laughed, a teasing glint in his bright blue eyes.

"Not so loud, Thor! She is right over there. And no, she is _not _my girlfriend. We aren't even friends. Just acquaintances," Loki corrected, a scowl forming on his face. "Now, do you wish for me to help you, or have you changed your mind?"

Thor hesitated for a moment, debating between the importance of Loki's help and the fun of teasing him some more.

"Sorry, Loki. Yes, I want your help. Please continue," Thor said reluctantly.

"As I was saying, Andelyn happens to know the boy quite well. Apparently, their houses are adjacent to one another, and he just so happens to be dating her sister. He is a very rude, unmannered boy and causes fights nearly every day, which also describes you quite well," Loki smirked. Thor glared. "He has a soft spot for kittens, though, and is very over-protective of his girlfriend."

"Well, he did start the fight because I was attempting to court his girlfriend. But for the record, she was enjoying it and even responding quite well," Thor said, remembering her from yesterday. "Her name is Samantha, correct? Yes, she was very pretty."

Loki resisted the urge to slam his head on his desk. Typical Thor. He did this with so many women that Loki found it hard to believe the god of thunder could even tell one from the other.

"Did you also find out any way to assist me, brother?" Thor said, snapping out of his reminiscing about Samantha.

"Don't worry about that. Worry about you instead." Loki smirked again. "And leave the rest to me."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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><p>School was over for the day. Normally, this would mean going home and doing homework. But not today. No, today was the day of the fight.<p>

In such a small town, it was a rare and exciting thing to witness a fight. This was typically a peaceful place, and "peaceful" roughly translates to "extremely boring".

So, nearly the whole school was planning to turn up to watch the fight today, and it was basically all anybody could talk about. Bets were placed and signs had even been made in favor of one person or another. Yes, everyone was exultant.

Everyone except Loki Odinson.

Loki was _extremely_ anxious. This would be his brother out there fighting, and the idea didn't exactly warm his soul. No matter how much he pretended to dislike Thor, they _were_ brothers, and he couldn't ignore that fact.

Maybe that's the reason Loki had agreed to help Thor. Was this decision unwise? Probably. Loki wasn't a fighter, and he was just beginning to gain a grasp on his magic. Would this decision get him beaten to a pulp? Most likely, but not if he could help it.

Loki had a plan. A rather risky plan if you ask him, but still a good one. He had spent the last half of the school day before the fight formulating it and perfecting it. He was ready to go.

When the final bell rang, he walked quickly to his locker, twisting it open with ease. He gathered the few books he needed out from under Thor's mess (oh, how Loki _hated_ sharing a locker with his brother) and slipped them into his backpack. When he had accomplished this, he then shut the locker and began to walk away.

He had barely made it halfway down the hall when he was joined by his one and only friend, Ande. Loki mentally groaned. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy talking to her or being with her, because he did like it. It's just that if he wanted his plan to succeed, he had to be completely alone and unnoticed.

"Hey, Luke!" she greeted him happily, matching his stride with hers. "Are you going to the fight after school?"

"No," Loki smoothly lied. "I have no interest in watching my elder brother be beaten up by an elephant."

She laughed, saying, "I can understand that. I don't think I'll be going either. I don't exactly care about fights, and I have tons of homework to do."

Loki blinked in confusion. "You have two _thousand_ pounds of homework...? It sounds slightly cruel of your teacher to assign that much."

"Oh, no, not a _literal_ ton. It's a figure of speech, meaning a lot." She gave him an odd look.

"Oh. I see," Loki replied, but he was still confused. "Um... I must be going. I have a ton of homework as well. I shall see you tomorrow."

He walked away, leaving her alone in the quickly emptying hallway.

Loki took a right and headed into the bathroom. He quickly checked and made sure that it was vacant before performing the next part of his plan. With a tiny snap of his fingers, an icy wind surrounded him.

A smirk played on his lips as he glanced in the mirror. It had worked.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Thor couldn't help but glance around nervously. Loki had said he'd be there and yet was still nowhere to be found. The fight was about to start; he could see the large silhouette of his competitor approaching, surrounded by a large crowd of supporters.

Thor had supporters as well, mainly consisting of the many girls that enjoyed pursuing him relentlessly and the group of boys that he had found shared the same interests he did: sports, women, and eating. But, still, it was a dramatically smaller crowd then the one Greg had accumulated.

And Loki was still missing.

What Thor was really nervous about, though, boiled down to two things. One, being that he would not be allowed to use his brute strength or Mjolnir. No, Odin had seen fit to take both of those things away. He would have to rely on his mortal strength alone.

The second thing he was worried about was that Loki was not there. In battle, they had always fought side by side. Though Thor was the better of the two, he had grown used to having Loki with him for moral support. And, what with Loki missing...

What if something had happened to Loki? What if Greg (or his equally large friends) had found out that he was helping Thor and that was the reason Loki hadn't shown yet? What if he was hurt? Even though they had a difficult time getting along, Thor loved his little brother and couldn't stand to see something happen to him.

But Thor couldn't dwell on that now. Not with the fight looming so precariously close. Literally. Greg was here, standing in front of Thor, grinning like the buffoon he so obviously was.

"Ha. I can't believe you even had the nerve to show up, newbie." He chuckled.

"I never back down from a fight, _ever_," Thor said firmly, refusing to quail.

"So confident, are you? We'll see about that."

"Name your weapon. Swords? Archery? Jousting?" Thor offered, prepared for any of the options Greg might pick.

The crowd laughed. "_Swords_? _Archery_? We aren't in the middle ages." Greg laughed again. "Haven't you ever been in a fight before? Probably not, Princess. No, here in America, we fight with our bare hands."

'_Did he _really_ just call me that?_' Thor thought incredulously, mouth agape.

"If only you knew the truth about my heritage, perhaps you wouldn't speak so foolishly!" Thor countered, thinking that would scare Greg into silence.

Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. The crowd roared with laughter once more.

"Your _herita__ge_? So you _are_ a princess! Little princess Trevor! What a wimp," Greg taunted, getting his half of the crowd to start chanting that.

"_PRINCESS TREVOR! PRINCESS TREVOR!" _they shouted in unison, laughing.

Thor could feel his face flush with anger and his eyes grow hot with rage.

He clenched his fists and prepared to throw the first punch right smack into the middle of the stupid buffoon's jaw, but something beat him to it.

Something, or perhaps someone, had hit Greg hard on the top of the head with a rather large stick. Someone invisible.

The spectators fell silent. Shock had just enough time to register on Greg's face before it abruptly turned to rage. All eyes were on Thor, who merely started chuckling quite uncontrollably.

The floating stick hit Greg again, and he, thinking that it was Thor causing this to happen, punched him. Thor stumbled back several steps and could feel a bruise already forming on the right side of his face. He quickly retaliated and threw the hardest hit possible in this weak mortal body.

It was enough, though. It caused Greg to fall to the ground, but did not knock him out. He clambered to his feet, extremely enraged now. The stick hit him again and then dropped to the ground.

"How _dare_ you?" Greg sputtered, spitting blood out of his mouth. He planted a kick directly in Thor's stomach and Thor winced and dropped to knees in pain. Greg was about to take advantage of this situation and deliver another blow, but was then tackled to the ground.

Not by Thor, who was still on his knees clutching his stomach, but by the invisible somebody who was now invisibly punching Greg over and over again in the jaw. Greg was too strong, though, and sent a punch so hard it knocked the unseen being off of him and caused it to land about five feet away. As whatever it was hit the ground, the magic shrouding it faltered for the briefest of moments, revealing to Thor who had been helping him.

_Loki._

Thor rose shakily to his feet, a wave of intense rage and the strong desire to protect his little brother overcoming the pain. He lunged at Greg. Thor punched him over and over and Greg fought back. It was a rather intense wrestling match, fueled by revenge on Thor's part and self defense on Greg's.

"If you hurt him, I swear to Odin I will kill you," Thor threatened as he held Greg in a headlock.

"What the heck are you talking about, freak? Hurt _who_?" Greg gasped, struggling to be released.

That momentarily stunned Thor. So the mortal boy didn't realize that Loki had been helping all along, just invisibly? He wondered what the other mortals had seen happen, if even Greg couldn't distinguish that Thor was not alone in this fight. He could see that working in his favor, though. Perhaps they wouldn't be so suspicious when the fight ended as to why there was an invisible person meandering around.

Greg used this moment of shock to his advantage and managed to break out Thor's grip. He quickly scrambled to his feet, backing away.

"Trevor Odinson, you are a _freak_. I don't know what is wrong with you, but I will find out." And he ran away like the little coward he was.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Thor rose to his feet as well, basking in the glory of the moment that he had won the fight. People surrounded him, clapping him on the back. Now that the fight was over though, they began to clear out before the authorities showed up. All the better. Thor needed them out so he could search for his currently invisible brother.

When the last person did leave, it did not take Thor long to find Loki. As soon as he touched what he assumed was his brother's face, Loki turned visible again.

Bloody. Bruised. Unconscious. That pretty much summed up the Loki that Thor found.

He slapped Loki's face several times and shook him, pleading with the Norns that his little brother was alright. They seemed to be in a good mood for once, though, because soon his green eyes fluttered open.

"Loki! Little brother, don't ever scare me like that again. I thought you were dead, and you are not allowed to die!" Thor yelled at him, though inside, he was extremely relieved.

Loki sat up groggily. "Ugh. What… What happened?"

"You tried to fight Greg for me, and it didn't turn out so well. Thank you, though, for the help."

"Maybe I should leave the battling to you next time."

"Aye, that would be wise. That was an impressive little trick you did, however, turning invisible and all. I wish _I_ could do that." Thor frowned.

Loki smiled at the compliment, something that he rarely received from his older brother. Thor grinned back and stood up, offering Loki a hand. He took it and stood up as well.

Suddenly, Loki's eyes grew wide with fright and he disappeared from view once more.

"Trevor Odinson. Principal's office. _Now_."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

><p>"What were you two boys <em>thinking<em>, fighting on school property? Did you not think of the consequences?" Mrs. Faldings said sternly, peering over the desk with hawk-like eyes at the two beat up and bruised boys.

"He started it!" Greg suddenly blurted out. "I was minding my own business when he just started beating me up."

Thor looked incredulously at the other boy. "That is false! _You_ challenged me to the fight this morning in the hall."

"Mr. Odinson is correct, Mr. Smithson. I have heard from many eye-witnesses that you indeed were the cause of today's brawl," the principal agreed, nodding her head sharply at Thor.

Thor smirked.

"However, Mr. Odinson should never have risen to such a challenge," she continued. "You are both to blame for the incident of today."

Thor's smirk abruptly dropped.

"You are both suspended from this school for three days time, beginning tomorrow. You will also receive an in-school suspension upon your return." And then, as if it couldn't get worse then it already was, she had to continue and say, "You will also both write a letter of apology to each other and a paper reflecting on how you made the wrong choice today."

There are two things Thor hated more then anything else: writing, and apologizing to someone who did not deserve it.

So it was a pretty effective punishment.

Mrs. Faldings dismissed the boys with a wave of her hand and they left the office together. They walked together in silence until Greg suddenly pinned Thor up against a wall. Thor was so surprised by the action that he had no time to react.

"Like I said, Odinson, there is something really weird about you. I don't know what it was that was beating me up today, that invisible thing, but I will find out. Mark my words, you freak." With a final shove, Greg stalked away out the door of the now empty building.

Thor stood there for a moment, trying to register what had just happened before shrugging it off and walking in the opposite direction. There was no way that Gregory Smithson could ever figure out who Thor really was. Mortals just weren't that smart.

He was met outside by an invisible hand on his shoulder. Thor jumped what seemed to be several feet in the air and let out a surprised yelp, but quickly contained himself when Loki materialized in front of him.

"I am sorry I left you when the principal showed up after the fight. I did not mean to. It surprised me, and I tend to subconsciously turn invisible when that happens," Loki explained with a sheepish look on his pale face.

"It's quite alright brother. I'd rather have you not get in trouble, and it would raise many an awkward question if you announced you had also been in the fight because nobody could see you in it," Thor assured the younger brother, clapping a hand on Loki's shoulder.

He let out a hiss of pain. Thor had very strong hands, and it did not help that Loki was practically bruised all over from the fight.

Thor didn't seem to notice, however, because he then continued, "Anyways, I'm suspended for the next three days, and I have to write a letter to Greg and a paper about my 'bad decisions'."

Thor glanced over at Loki with a hopeful look in his bright blue eyes.

Loki sighed. "Yes, yes. I'll help you with it," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Hadn't Thor asked for enough today?

"That's my brother!" Thor said cheerfully, clapping Loki on the shoulder again.

Loki made a mental note to stand farther away from his brother from now on.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

The rest of the week passed by quickly after the day of the fight. Without Thor there to distract him, Loki found himself to be enjoying his new mortal life.

Especially his friend, Andelyn. She was extremely interesting to Loki now that he was beginning to get to know her better. Everything she did and everything she said Loki found absolutely intriguing. Mortals were just so different from the Aesir. It was a nice character study for Loki.

Ande had already accepted the fact that this Luke guy was strange, and she found him to be just as interesting as he found her. She very much liked being around him and realized that it put her at ease.

The two quickly settled into a routine. They would meet at their lockers in the mornings and would proceed to walk to class together. After the morning classes, they would eat lunch together and then go to the library. In the library, they would either quietly read books together, or Ande would tell Loki about her life and her interests and her hobbies.

She had asked Loki about his life and interests and hobbies several times but had only received vague answers. Yes, this Luke person was definitely different, but she liked it. It was refreshing.

As far as Loki was concerned, Andelyn was his first real friend. Sure, Thor's friends were technically his friends as well, but he had never exactly been at ease around them and he assumed the feeling was mutual.

Loki was somewhat content with this new life.

But that did not erase his feelings of home-sickness. He missed Asgard desperately. He missed the swooping, high vaulted ceilings of the palace. He missed the tall, fluted towers. Missed the way you could see the entire night sky in the evening. He missed his chambers and his own bed. And he even missed sword fighting with his brother, even if he always lost.

It eased his feelings of longing for Asgard when he noticed Ande reading a book during those days at the library. It was entitled _From Asgard to Valhalla: The Remarkable History of the Norse Myths._

"What is that book about?" he asked, though he already had a faint idea.

She glanced up and said, "Um, it's about Norse mythology. You know; the gods of the Vikings. Odin, Frejya, Thor."

"Really? You like mythology?" Loki asked.

"Oh, yes. I love it. I've been reading it since I was a little girl. Do you like it?"

"Mythology is practically my entire life." Loki smirked, hoping she wouldn't notice the double meaning. "Who is your favorite god?"

"Well, in which pantheon?"

"Any of them. All of them," Loki prompted, honestly curious.

"Well, in Egyptian mythology my favorite goddess is Isis. In Greek mythology my m- uh... I mean, favorite is Athena." Her cheeks flushed pink as she corrected her rather odd slip-up. She hurried on, "My favorite Roman god is Mercury. And... my favorite Norse god is-"

"Let me guess. Thor," Loki cut in. "_Everybody_ likes Thor."

"Thor is okay, I suppose. But my favorite would have to be Loki."

Loki blinked, not comprehending what she had just said because nobody ever picked him before his brother. _Ever_. It just didn't happen. Was she crazy or something?

"W-why?" he finally got out; staring at her like she was mentally insane.

"I think he was treated unfairly by the other gods. He wasn't evil. He was just misunderstood. He tried to do good for the other gods, but they just kind of ignored that and just focused on the bad," she explained with a shrug.

Okay, so she was definitely crazy. Loki wasn't good. He was destined to bring about Ragnarok (something that Sif never let him forget about). And Loki knew in his heart that there was no changing what the Norns had foretold. It was quite a downer, in his opinion, knowing that you would inevitably bring the end of the world.

He appreciated the compliment, though, even if she didn't know she had given him one.

"I see. So is that book you're reading good?" he asked.

"Yes, it's very good. Want to borrow it? I've read it a couple times before." She offered holding the book out to him.

He accepted and took it from her. He wanted to know how well the mortals had separated fact from fiction regarding him and his family.

So, he took the book to the mortal residence he was currently abiding in that night and settled in for an evening of reading. It was around ten o'clock when he completed it.

And he immediately regretted ever starting it.

Because, quite frankly, the myths about him were extremely disturbing. Apparently, he was half frost giant, had given birth to an eight legged horse, had dressed both himself and Thor in women's clothing, had killed his half-brother, Balder, out of pure spite, and had fathered a snake, a wolf, and a half dead child. He was completely unaware that all of this had "occurred".

Needless to say, Loki then vowed to never read one more page of mythology ever again.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p>Thor did not take boredom well. Ever since he was a small child, he had been impatient and demanding. Unlike his brother, he couldn't sit still and read a book or do a puzzle. No, Thor had always liked action and adventure and fun and anything else that prevented him from sitting still for more then twenty minutes at a time.<p>

And this is precisely why Thor feels like he is going to die. This suspension from school was going to kill him due to _absolute boredom_. There was nowhere he could go, nobody he could see, and absolutely nothing he could do.

Of course there was always Loki to talk to, but he was usually doing boring things in Thor's opinion. He could talk to his "mortal family" (who weren't really his family and were just under the illusion they were) but they weren't exactly interesting. They basically ignored both the brothers and left them to their own devices.

Yes, Thor was extremely, excruciatingly, immensely bored.

So when he received a letter from his father on the second day of his suspension, he was overjoyed. Communication at last! He hurriedly tore it open, his bright blue eyes devouring every word.

_My son, Thor, _

_Words cannot begin to express both my pride and disappointment regarding your behavior this past week. As you well know, I sent you to Midgard to improve your conduct. Instead of doing as I intended for you to do, you completely disobeyed my orders. Yes son, I am very aware about your brawl with the mortal boy. _

_I don't believe you realize the risk you took when you accepted the challenge he presented you with. You were blessed with uncanny strength and superior fighting skills. You could have easily killed him, even whilst you are in the form of a mere mortal. I expected better from you, Thor. For your acts of insolence, I hereby lengthen your punishment an extra thirty (30) days. _

_On a different note, I am also proud that you have adjusted so well to mortal life, blending right in with the other mortals. You also did a very good job single-handedly fighting that other mortal child. Congratulations. _

_Please give my kindest regards to your brother, Loki. Your Mother wishes you both the best and yearns for the day of your return. _

_Your Father, _

_Odin, All-Father  
>King of Asgard<br>_  
>Thor let a small whimper escape his throat. <em>Another <em>month of dealing with mortals? Hadn't he been punished enough by the school principal? He had learned his lesson!

He flopped down on his bed, glad that Loki was still at school so he wouldn't see him like this. Because, quite honestly, Thor felt like he was about to cry (he wouldn't of course, because that was just plain weak).

An hour later of sympathizing with himself, he decided he could handle this. It wouldn't be that hard and perhaps with good behavior his father might take off that extra time. Yes, he must. Thor felt better already.

Until he remembered he still had to write an essay. He flopped back down with a groan, snatching up a piece of paper and a pencil.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Loki had had a great day. There were no problems and he came home that afternoon cheerful and smiling for once.

He walked up the stairs to the room he and Thor shared. It wasn't very large, with two beds and two desks and a small dresser for the both of them. Loki had drawn a neat line down the middle using a substance called tape when they had first arrived one week ago. His belongings were neatly arranged on one half of the room, while Thor's possessions were strewn haphazardly where ever there was space.

Loki sighed. Just seeing his brothers half of the room made his blood boil.

Thor was stretched out on his bed when Loki entered. Upon seeing his younger brother, Thor jumped up and bounded across the room with a formal looking paper clutched in his hand. His mouth immediately started moving a mile a minute, bombarding Loki with questions and comments.

"Hi, brother! How are you? How is school? Did you miss me today? It's so lonely here! What was for lunch in the cafeteria? Was it good? Did you kiss your girlfriend yet? Oh, wait, you don't have a girlfriend. Or so you say. Father sent us a letter. I tried reading one of your books, but it fell out the window and-"

"Father sent us a letter?" Loki interrupted. Even at Thor's age, he was still the most attention-deficit being Loki had ever known.

"What? Oh, yeah. Here," Thor said as he handed his brother the paper he had been holding.

Loki's intelligent eyes quickly scanned the letter, growing wide as he came to the part about the added punishment.

"An extra _month_, Thor? I can't believe you." Loki shoved the paper back at his brother and stormed over to the window.

"It's not like I meant it. And maybe if we both behave ourselves, Father will let us come home early," Thor said indignantly.

Loki sighed again. Thor _did_ have a point...

"I suppose you're right. But don't you dare get into anymore trouble," Loki threatened. "I don't want to stay here any longer then we must." He turned back to the window and heard Thor plop back down onto his bed.

Really, it wasn't that they had to stay an extra month that was the problem. No, he could handle that. The real issue was that Odin had hardly mentioned Loki in his letter. A quick "give my regards to" did not suffice. Odin could have at least written him a letter as well. But, _no_, Thor was the golden child, the one destined for the throne.

Loki tried not to resent his brother for it. Thor couldn't help that he was naturally social, and making friends came easily to him, while it didn't to Loki. Thor couldn't help that he had been born first, thus making him next in line for the throne. He couldn't help that their father favored him over Loki. It wasn't really his fault, so Loki shouldn't be angry with him, right?

Shoving those thoughts aside, he turned his attention to the world outside the window. Then he spotted something in the bush directly below the window and felt his eyes narrow at the sight of it. He clenched his fists in anger.

"Thor?" He asked slowly.

"Hmm?" came the elder boy's response.

_"What was that bit about dropping my book out a window?"_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

><p>Loki had been attending mortal school for nearly one month now, and he was really getting the hang of things. He was becoming very much attached to the company of Andelyn, Thor hadn't gotten himself in anymore fights, and he was making A's in every class, besides gym.<p>

Unsurprisingly, gym was not his best subject. In fact, he considered it to be his worst.

He was not a bad athlete. No, he wasn't bad at all. His problem was that he refused to push himself.

Athletics were never of any interest to him. He preferred to focus more on his studies instead, leaving him little to no time to pay any attention to stuff of the physical nature.

This was precisely why his gym teacher hated him with a very strong passion. He was convinced of it.

Thor laughed it off when Loki brought it up, dismissing it entirely. "You think everyone hates you brother. You even think Sif hates you! I think you are just paranoid."

_'That is easy for you to say Thor... The teacher loves you... The only class you are managing to pass right now is gym..._' Loki thought with a scowl.

And he knew that for a fact. Coach Barnes had said so herself earlier that day.

They had been running a mile outside because the temperature was unusually warm for the season and the coach felt like the students could use some air.

She stood there with her clip board in hand, shouting either uplifting, encouraging things at the fast runners, or rather rude things at the slower kids.

Loki naturally fell into the latter category because he simply didn't care. Ande was jogging along side of him, but he knew she was only matching his speed so he wouldn't be alone. She was more of a speedy runner-type herself. So far, every time they passed Coach Barnes she would say something rude and it was really wearing on Loki's nerves.

Sure enough, as the two turned the corner of the field and passed Coach Barnes, she shouted, "Hurry up you two! Odinson, can't you be more like your brother? Get a move on!"

That really did it. Just her saying that sentence made his vision tint red. His hands clenched into fists and he felt angry magic start to flow to them. Without realizing what he was doing, he halted dead in his tracks and spun to face the coach.

He needed to control himself, before something bad happened but it was so difficult to... _'Deep breaths,'_ he thought, trying to calm himself down.

"What's the matter with you? Get going!" She shouted when she saw him stop. "Apparently athletics don't run in the family... Probably adopted…" she muttered, but it was loud enough that Loki could still hear.

It succeeded in setting him off. All attempts to calm his anger were abandoned, and he wielded the magic that had been building. He brought his hands out and made a movement that looked like he was trying to swim through the air.

The coach was suddenly knocked off her feet by a sudden, very strong, gust of wind. She flew back several feet before sliding to a stop in the dirt. Loki, in his uncontrolled rage, prepared to do it again and cause more pain to her, but as he reached again for the magic a hand grabbed his forearm and stopped him.

He looked over to find Ande glaring at him.

"Calm down, Luke. Whatever you just did, don't do it again. You are in enough trouble as is. _Calm down_," she said slowly and quietly.

He stared at her for a moment, comprehending what she had just said. And he slowly nodded his head in understanding. Loki came back to his senses that had previously been corrupted. He felt his heart rate drift back to normal, and he could see clearly again.

"WH-what was that? Go to the principal's office! _Now_! Hanson, you go with him," Coach Barnes barked as she rose shakily to her feet, brushing dust and dirt off her gym trousers. She was practically seething with fury.

Loki glanced around at the few stunned faces that had witnessed what had just happened. Because mortals had a difficult time understanding the mysterious, he wasn't sure what they had seen. He wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know, either.

"Come on," Ande said, and she started pulling him away from the scene.

They walked briskly to the nearest door of the building and went inside to the empty hallway.

Loki was in no desire to go to the principal's office for it would stain his flawless record, and he was glad when Ande stopped him from walking any further. Any delay to when he would have to go there was welcome, until he saw her expression.

It was one of disbelief, shock, and slight anger. Her eyes were narrowed, and she had her arms folded across her chest.

"What just happened?" she asked him. Her tone told him that she would accept no nonsense.

Loki cleared his throat, quickly spinning a tale with the use of his silver tongue. "Absolutely nothing happened. You saw it yourself, Coach Barnes tripped and then she blamed it on me," Loki lied smoothly, hoping to convince her that was what really happened. Mortal minds were easily bent to his will.

She snorted in disbelief. "Luke, I know what I saw. She didn't trip. You did something to her. What was it?"

Apparently hers wasn't so easily confused.

He thought for a moment before answering, deciding to stick with the truth this time. "I... I cannot tell you. I am sorry."

Ande considered him for a moment, grey eyes analyzing each word, before sighing. "I know what that feels like, not being able to tell someone something. It's fine. Let's get you to the principal's office."

He was relieved that she had understood his problem, and they set off again in the direction of the main offices.

Andelyn left him at the door to the room with a "good luck", a quick hug, and she dashed back to gym.

_A hug_. Loki had never gotten a hug from a girl before, excluding his mother. He stood there for a moment, dazed and surprised, and then entered the office.

"Ah, Mr. Odinson, have a seat," Mrs. Faldings began, gesturing to a chair. Loki sat and tried to appear innocent.

"I've dealt with your brother before. I was hoping you'd be less of a trouble maker, but after your actions today, I'm not so sure. Apparently, you pushed Coach Barnes and caused her to fall to the ground," -_so that's what the mortals saw_...- "Is this true? Assault is a serious business, Mr. Odinson. Would you care to explain in your own words exactly what occurred?"

"I did not harm Coach Barnes, ma'am. She was shouting at me to run faster and tripped over her own feet. Of course, she accused me," Loki lied, snapping his fingers.

A bemused expression then came over the principal's face. She nodded her head as if in a trance.

_'Well, that was easy',_ Loki thought with a slight smirk.

She let Loki go without any punishment and gave him a piece of sweetened sugar mortals called a lollipop. It was delicious.

He walked out the door of the office, the smirk still residing on his face and a new spring in his step.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Thor had discovered something. Something wonderful. Something amazing. Something time consuming and completely pointless.

Thor had discovered television.

His fake mortal family had installed a television in his and Loki's bedroom sometime in the middle of November, hoping they could use it to entertain themselves. Loki had no interest in it, using it rarely to watch specials about history or science. Thor didn't see the fun in that.

He preferred something mortals called Reality TV. It was so fascinating to watch mortals compete in ridiculous competitions for amusement. He especially loved "American Idol" and "Toddlers and Tiaras" in particular.

He watched it consistently, and because of it, his grades were suffering an all time low. They had never been great with his academics to begin with, but he had at least managed to scrape a C at first term. But as it was mid-December now, the semester's end was fast approaching, and it was near impossible that he could pull them up from an F.

Thor had already tried asking his brother, the Walking Library, for assistance, but Loki would just become frustrated and angry at the older boy's incapability to understand basic concepts.

He was running out of time, and their father had specifically said that he must make a C average grade or another month would be added to the punishment. And Thor refused to let that happen.

Thor was becoming more and more desperate, even starting to spend his lunch in the library, something that bothered Loki to no end. Every time Thor would approach him to ask him a question or to help him understand a word or to help him find a book, he would be met with an icy glare.

"Is your brother alright...?" he overheard Loki's friend (Thor could never remember her name) ask him one day. "He looks stressed."

"It's his fault. He hasn't spent anytime at all studying up until two days ago. His grades have plummeted. He's been too busy watching television," he heard Loki reply snarkily.

"Have you tried helping him?"

"Yes, and it did not end well." Thor could practically hear the eye roll that he was sure accompanied the statement.

There was a brief pause, and then-

"... I'm going over to help him. This is just sad," the girl said and Thor heard her chair scoot back.

"I pray that your head doesn't implode when you realize how incapable he is concerning learning," Loki said, tone dripping with contempt.

Thor quickly looked back down at his book he was pretending to read when he heard her start to walk over. He couldn't let them know he'd been eavesdropping.

"It's Trevor, right?" she asked as she approached.

He looked up and faked a surprised face. He nodded.

"I don't think we've met. I'm your brother's friend, Ande Hanson."

"I know. My brother talks about you constantly!" Thor said loud enough for Loki to hear. He noticed Loki's cheeks burn red. Thor chuckled.

"Um... I couldn't help but notice that you seem a little confused with these books. Do you need any help?" she asked, but her face was slightly flushed with pink as well.

"I would love help, but where am I supposed to get any?" he said, clueless as ever.

"I can help you," she said slowly as if talking to a five year old. "If you want."

Thor blinked. "Sure."

Ande smiled and sat down in front of him, reaching for a book and flipping open to a certain page. She started to read aloud.

Thor paid attention for as long as possible, but soon his eyes drifted over to where Loki now sat alone. Thor could tell his brother was trying to appear nonchalant, but there was no mistaking the apparent jealousy in his eyes.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

><p>With all the extra time spent in the library, Thor had absolutely no more time for a social life and it was really putting him in a bad mood. Loki's friend Ande had really helped him with his grades, but to him that wasn't important. What was the point of school if not to socialize?<p>

It was the last day of the semester before the Christmas holidays began and Thor had been able to being his grade average up to a C+, an all time high. But it still did not help his angry mood. It seemed like nothing could.

It was thundering right now, in the middle of December. Many would say that is ridiculous, it could never because it was too cold. Those people had obviously never seen Thor have a temper before.

Throughout the day, the thunderstorm grew worse, alternating between pouring buckets of ice cold rain and a horrendous blizzard. The threat of being snowed in at school was growing rapidly whilst the happiness of the students was declining at an equal rate.

The previous day, teachers had barely been able to keep the noise level down because everyone was excited for winter break and they all had to talk about it. Now the teachers couldn't even keep the students in their seats at all because everyone was anxiously crowded at the window, hoping that the storm would die down before they were all stuck here for longer then necessary.

Thor was the only one (besides Loki, of course) who stayed in his seat the entire class period, simply glaring down a book. It was totally out of character for him. He was in no mood to go gaze out a window at snow and rain because he knew full well that he was causing it with his angry mood.

Aside from having no time to be with his friends and being stuck in the library all day, Thor was upset because of winter. He hated winter. He hated it with a passion, much preferring the warm summer rainstorms. It seemed rather ironic that he, the one who detests cold more than anything, was the one causing this snowstorm. But was he in the mood to stop it? Absolutely not.

No, instead he sat still in his seat, for once not fidgeting or otherwise being his usual ADD self. He gave his book a death stare, hating its very existence. Why couldn't books just _give_ you information so you wouldn't have to waste time reading? Books were only entertaining when they fell off of buildings or out of windows.

He was seriously considering doing just that. He wasn't exactly sure why he found that to be so entertaining. He had been pushing books out of windows for years, ever since Sif and he had discovered how fun it was one very boring day when they were seven. Sometimes, they'd break open on impact and the pages would fly all over. This classroom was on the second story after all... And it would definitely put him in a better mood...

As if reading Thor's mind, Loki suddenly looked up from his own book to glare at his older brother seated across the room from him.

Thor had started standing up, but when he saw Loki, he immediately sat back down. It would be better to do that when his brother was not in the same classroom as he. Too bad this was the last class of the day so he wouldn't get another chance until next semester.

Thor sighed, impatiently drumming his fingers against the desk. If anything, he was becoming more and more moody and the winds outside picked up instantaneously. The rest of the class groaned upon seeing the excess snow fall.

The loud speaker buzzed with an announcement. A crackly voice started speaking over it.

"...Attention all students and faculty members: we have just received reports from the weather station that the storm is expected to continue into the late evening. Due to safety restrictions, we are required to keep you in the building until further notice. Thank you."

The class groaned again. Mr. Lincoln attempted to usher the students back into their seats and they finally complied and trudged back to their desks. Thor was guessing the teacher felt bad about the situation because he told them they could talk amongst themselves quietly.

So, naturally, the whole room had the noise level of a circus.

Thor didn't really want to talk to anyone because that interfered with his sorrowful mood, this once again being ironic because not being able to talk was one of the main reasons he was stuck in this sullen rut.

Loki slid into the empty desk in front of Thor, turning around to face him. This surprised Thor because Loki knew better then to speak to him when he was wallowing.

"I couldn't help but notice your rather grumpy expression from across the room, brother. Do you wish to speak about it?" Loki asked softly.

"No," Thor said defiantly. Loki rolled his eyes at that. Thor always had to be difficult, no matter what.

"For the record, I am not in the best of moods either."

That struck a chord somewhere in Thor. Loki never chose to talk to Thor when he had a problem. This was a first.

"Why? What reason could you possibly have to be angry?" Thor asked incredulously.

"I haven't even been able to talk to my only friend in two weeks because you are constantly with her. That's my reason. Now tell me yours."

"Don't be so possessive of her. I can talk to her if I want," Thor said defensively.

"I am not being possessive of her, Thor. She is my only friend. I do not have anybody else to talk to besides her." Loki rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Well, she's my friend too. And she _likes_ me," Thor said smugly.

"Did she tell you so?" Loki raised his eyebrows.

"Well, no, but every girl likes me. It's common knowledge, Loki."

"Alright, I will ask her and she can solve this problem for us," Loki said, daring Thor silently to argue any further. "Now that I have given you my reason, you must tell me yours. You agreed to it." This was a lie. There had been no such agreement, but knowing Thor, he wouldn't realize Loki's trickery.

"Fine." Thor sighed. "I'm angry because it's cold outside, and I haven't been able to be with my friends because I've been stuck in the library."

Loki blinked. "You realize that if you stop causing this blizzard, it wouldn't be so cold, correct? And you could go talk with your friends right now."

"I don't want to! I'm in too bad of a mood. Go away now brother. But... thank you for talking to me."

"Anytime, Thor." Loki walked back to his own desk.

The storm lessened in force considerably after that.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

The storm did not completely go away, however. In fact, it was still going pretty strong at 6 o'clock that night. The students were still stuck in school, though they had been moved to the cafeteria. It was absolute chaos. People were running here and there, laughing and shrieking, and wads of paper and the occasional football flew through the air.

Loki had found a semi-quiet corner booth table where he could avoid the worst of the mess and he was reading his book on sorcery. He missed being able to freely use his magic.

He was disrupted from his reading when Andelyn slid into the other side of the booth.

"It's a mess out there. Just walking over here, I was afraid I'd be stepped on. Lucky you, for finding a table that isn't being used as a wrestling arena," she commented as she picked a bit of paper out of her curly hair. "At least the thunder's stopped."

Loki made a humming noise in the back of his throat, but otherwise kept silent.

"Is anything wrong? You seem... I don't know…depressed lately, I guess," Ande asked.

Loki looked up from his book. "I'm fine," he said, hoping to convince her so she would leave him alone about it.

"You don't seem fine. What's up?"

"The sky," Loki said slowly, confused as to why she was asking such an irrelevant question.

"No, no. I mean, what's wrong? You can tell me," she clarified.

Loki considered her for a moment before sighing. "I haven't been able to talk to you in nearly two weeks."

She looked confused, so he continued, "You've been with my brother nearly constantly. We have hardly exchanged two words ever since.

"Are you jealous?" She smirked.

He glared at her, saying, "No, but I'm worried you are going to ditch me for him. It has happened before. He always takes my friends, and I merely do not want that to occur again."

"He's not going to take me from you as a friend. I suppose he and I are friends, but I'd rather be around you anyways," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Sorry if you think I've been ignoring you. I haven't been meaning to."

"It's alright."

There was a rather awkward silence after that. Neither friend really knew what to say to the other, so Loki returned to his reading and Ande pulled out a book as well. They sat there for a while, trying to drown out the background noise of the extremely crowded cafeteria.

Ande finally broke the silence. She cleared her throat and Loki shut his book again. "There is a huge New Years Eve party on the 31st. Are you going?"

Loki personally had no idea what "New Years Eve" was. He had heard about the party and knew that Thor was going, but wasn't sure if he wanted to go or not. He wasn't exactly a party person.

"I'm not quite sure. Why?" he asked.

"Oh, my sister and I were going to go together, but she canceled and made plans to go with her friends instead. I still want to go though, but I don't want to go alone. You should come with me," she explained.

Loki considered the offer for a moment. He never had liked parties. He found them purposeless and, quite frankly, a waste of time. But Ande _was_ going, so at least he would actually know somebody there if he couldn't find anyone else to talk to.

He hesitated and said, "… Alright. I'll go."

"You will? Awesome!" She grinned. "It starts at seven on the last day of December. I'll meet you at your house and we can walk there together. It isn't too far away from where you live."

"Sounds like a plan," Loki smiled back, hoping that he wasn't making a stupid decision.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

><p>Loki ran his hand over his hair, once more smoothing down any flyways. He fixed his shirt collar again for the fifth time and double checked that he hadn't forgotten anything. He looked into the mirror, his bright emerald eyes staring back at him. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down.<p>

He almost did calm down, too, but of course Thor had to choose that moment to barge through the door into their shared bedroom.

Why they had ever agreed to put the mirror on the back of said door, Loki would never know but would always regret. Because when Thor flung the door open, Loki just so happened to be standing in front of it. Now he was sprawled on the floor.

"Loki? Where'd you go?" Thor asked loudly, being ever the buffoon he is. Could he not tell that he had just hit his brother with the door?

"Down here," Loki muttered angrily.

"Well what are you doing on the ground? Don't you know that your date is here?" Thor said with a confused expression.

"I was testing the carpet's softness," Loki said with narrowed eyes, rubbing his jaw. "And she is not my date, Thor. We're just friends, as I've told you many times before."

"Sure, sure..." Thor rolled his bright blue eyes, but Loki could tell he was teasing.

"Wait a moment... Did you say she was here?"

"Uh, did I?" Thor asked. "Oh, yeah, she's here. She's waiting on the porch for us."

"...Us?" Loki asked warily.

"Well, yes. We're all walking there together, right?"

"I was not aware of that. Let's go," Loki sighed and headed down the stairs. Thor followed him.

Sure enough, Ande was on the porch waiting for them. She didn't immediately notice the brothers' presence however. She seemed to be in deep thought and she was methodically rubbing her little silver owl necklace between two fingers.

Thor tripped on the way out the door which startled her back into reality.

"Oh! Um, hi," she said.

Thor jovially said hello back, but Loki noticed something was off with the way she had spoken. Her voice was slightly higher pitched then usual and her grey eyes were glancing around nervously.

"Is everything alright, Ande?" Loki asked quietly. Thor wasn't paying attention, instead glaring at the gently falling snow with extreme hatred.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine..." she said but Loki wasn't really convinced.

"I see," he said giving her a look that plainly said 'we'll talk later'.

She nodded, and said, "Well, should we get going?"

"Yes. Let's," Loki said with mock cheerfulness. He jabbed Thor in the ribs, bringing him back to the conversation. Thor got the message, and they set off down the street.

It wasn't necessarily a long walk, but it was a rather quiet one. Thor, of course, could never be silent and kept making strange humming noises, but Loki was used to that and drowned it out. Ande didn't say anything, but Loki could see her lips moving as if speaking silently to herself. She also kept glancing behind them at the empty street every so often.

Loki could hear the party before they could see the house it was at. The three rounded the corner and came upon a street filled with people, noise, and light. Thor's eyes lit up in anticipation. Loki let out a small whimper.

"It'll be fine Luke," Ande assured him quietly. Thor had already left them and had found a group of his friends.

Loki wasn't so sure. There was something... Off about this night. He didn't know how exactly to explain it but he had a strange feeling that something was going to happen. Something big.

He had stopped walking, dreading the moment when they would enter the people filled house. Ande rolled her eyes and grabbed his forearm, dragging him into the mob of people gathered in the driveway.

Loki grimaced at the close contact of people brushing up against him. He really hated parties. Why had he talked himself into going again?

They finally reached the door and forced their way through the crowd. The inside honestly was not that much better than the outside. In fact, it seemed even more packed. Loud music blared from a stereo that Loki could not see. The television was on as well, turned up to contradict the music. The brightly lit screen showed a large, shiny silver orb that appeared to be atop a building. Mortals had such strange customs.

There was also a large table full of food in one corner and another equally large table of various drinks. Loki noticed several bottles of what he assumed to be alcohol and desperately hoped that Thor did not discover them.

Ande continued to drag him through the room until they reached the stairs where they then sat.

"Is the party over yet?" Loki asked hopefully.

Ande rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, no," she grumbled.

"Wait, if you don't want to be here either, then why don't we simply leave?"

Ande didn't respond. They sat there without talking for a short while, but the silence wasn't awkward. Neither of the two were talkers, and that suited them just fine.

The music gradually changed into a slightly slower song.

"Oh, hey, I love this song," she said glancing at Loki pointedly.

"Erm. I've never heard it," he said meekly, not picking up on her hint.

She sighed softly. "Come on. Let's dance."

"Dance? Th-that isn't exactly a good idea..." Loki protested, but it went unheard. Ande had grabbed his arm again and towed him back onto the dance floor. She put her hands on his shoulders and he nervously put his around her waist.

They shuffled awkwardly around until the song ended and Loki was sure his face was bright red the entire time. Both he and Thor had taken dancing lessons when they were younger, but those were for Asgardian dances.

And besides, Loki had never actually danced with a real girl before. It was mortifying. He was relieved when the song ended and was replaced with a more upbeat one.

Ande had stopped paying attention, though, and was thinking about something or another and didn't notice the change in music.

"Um, Ande?" Loki prompted. She snapped back to the real world and looked at him. "The song ended..."

"Oh. Oh! Right. Okay." She dropped her hands.

They returned to the stairs. Silence fell between them again. Then Loki noticed something.

Thor had a bottle in his hands. He mentally groaned. When Thor was under the influence, it was never a good thing, and the rest of Asgard knew it. They tended to keep such beverages away from him at all costs. Unfortunately, however, there were no such babysitters here on Midgard. So naturally, Loki was expected to be one.

"I'll be right back," he muttered distractedly to Andelyn. He wasn't sure she heard him though.

He walked up to his brother, dodging people left and right. Thor was in the middle of flirting with some girl he didn't know. Loki didn't really care. He interrupted their conversation.

"Trevor," he greeted. Thor saw him and slung his arm around Loki's shoulders, clearly intoxicated already.

"Hey, brother! Have you met Amber?" he slurred, drunkenly gesturing to the girl. "Amber, this is my brother L-L-um... Loki. Yeah."

Loki rolled his eyes at Thor's mistake and quickly covered for him.

"Actually, it's Luke. Pleasure to meet you, however," he said somewhat icily. Loki didn't really care who he offended right now. Amber nodded with a fake smile plastered on.

"Trevor, I need to talk to you alone," Loki said firmly. Thor nodded absently and allowed Loki to pull him into the currently empty kitchen.

"Thor, what are you thinking?" Loki demanded. "You know you aren't allowed to be drinking! If Father knew, he'd be furious."

Thor laughed, not even registering what his brother had said. "Sure, little brother, whatever you say."

Loki was about to retaliate, but just then, a group of boys who were also drunk passed the kitchen, laughing stupidly at some unknown joke.

"See ya later, alligator." Thor giggled and followed the other boys.

Loki felt like kicking something, but held back and stormed to the stairs he had left Andelyn at. She was gone, and her spot had been occupied by a couple that was kissing enthusiastically.

"Great. Just wonderful," he muttered sardonically to himself, stalking off in search of Ande. He stood on his toes to see over the heads of the crowd but was unable to locate her.

He noticed a screen door over on one wall and decided to go out and clear his head with some fresh air. Loki grabbed a plastic cup of water on his way out and walked off of the covered deck and onto one of the paved trails in the garden.

This garden was probably the least occupied area of the entire place, possibly because it had become extremely cold outside and nobody wanted to stay out in the chilly night air. Cold had never bothered Loki as he much preferred it to the heat of summer, so he was perfectly fine with the temperature.

He walked farther along, taking a sip of his drink and immediately spitting it out. What he had assumed was water had turned out to be a mix of some sort of alcohol and another sweet drink Loki couldn't place. Having never had much taste for alcoholic beverages, save for the occasional glass of wine, he dumped the rest of the liquid out and used his magic to dispose of the cup.

He kept walking into a part of the garden that was completely empty. The moon was out, and it was brightly shining against the inky black, star filled sky. The clouds of earlier had long since drifted away.

Loki halted in his tracks when he heard voices emitting from a small pavilion with benches inside. He recognized one of the voices as none other than Andelyn's. Her voice was tense.

Making a split second decision, he ducked down behind one of the bushes and listened to the conversation.

"- I'm trying, Mother. I really am!" Ande's voice rang out into the night air.

"I am aware of your efforts. I do not underestimate you, daughter. You are capable. But I feel as if perhaps you are not best suited for this mission. Perhaps one of your siblings-" the second voice said. Loki didn't recognize this one, though it had a ring of familiarity.

"No, Mother! Please, just give me some more time. I can do this. Please," Ande said, and Loki could hear the begging in her voice.

There was a pause, and then the other voice continued, "I will give you four more months, Andelyn. No more, no less. I expect you to have accomplished the task in that set time. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother," Ande replied.

"I shall see you in four months time, then. Farewell, my child."

Loki felt a strong magical surge, and the presence of the other person was gone. He hesitated for a moment before standing up and walking to the pavilion. He put on a mask of surprise upon seeing Ande.

"Ande? There you are. I've been looking everywhere," he said smoothly. He had always been a good actor.

Ande jumped at the sound of his voice. She turned to face him.

"Oh, hey, Luke. Um, I just needed some air. I didn't know I had been gone that long. Sorry," she said, looking at her feet and fingering her necklace again.

"Is everything okay?" Loki asked for the second time that night.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just having family trouble right now," she said, still looking at her feet.

"I know what that feels like..." Loki mumbled. "Let's sit down." He led her over to one of the benches and they sat.

"Luke?" she asked slowly.

"Yes?" he replied distantly, distracted by the glittering night sky.

"Are we friends?"

"Yes," Loki said. Her question had caught his attention and he focused on her. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Just wondering," Ande said, and then continued, "Are we good friends?"

"I would consider us to be so."

"... Best friends?" she asked quietly.

Loki paused, unsure of what to say. He honestly had never even thought of that.

"I've never had a best friend before now. In fact, I haven't even had a good friend or even a decent one. But I can say with certainty that you are the best friend I've ever had," he finally managed to get out.

Ande smiled. "And you're the best friend I have ever had, too. So, I guess that means we're best friends then."

Loki grinned. "I suppose so."

There was a long moment after that where neither said anything. They just sat there, enjoying each others company. After a while, Ande broke the silence.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm adopted?" she asked.

"No. You haven't," Loki said.

"Well, I am. I've lived with my adopted family my whole life. But I don't consider them my adopted family. They're my real family, because they were the ones to take care of me and love me. I couldn't imagine calling anyone else my parents. Is that strange?"

"No, it makes sense," Loki said, nodding slowly.

"I've met my biological mother, and we don't exactly get along very well," she said with a small laugh. "I've never met my biological dad though. I'm not sure if I want to."

Loki thought back to the mysterious person Ande had been talking to earlier, the one who apparently could use magic. Ande had called her "Mother". Was this the biological mother she was talking about?

"Anyways, my back-story aside, what about you? What's your family like?" she asked curiously.

She had asked questions about his family and life before, and he had always avoided them one way or another. He wasn't sure what compelled him to open up to her now.

"My brother and I are two completely different people. I don't see how we are related sometimes. And my father sees that, too. He favors Trevor over me, and he does no job to conceal his favoritism. Trevor has always been the one who was strong and powerful and brave. Those are the qualities my father appreciates. I do not believe he cares for any of my talents. Knowledge and cleverness aren't important where I come from. It's all about Trevor all the time," Loki sighed wistfully.

"For the record, I like you a lot more then your brother. This probably doesn't help much, but I don't see why your father wouldn't prefer you to Trevor," she said softly.

Loki smiled gently. "Thanks, Ande."

She smiled in return.

A large boom and a crackle overhead distracted them from their conversation.

"The fireworks are starting! It must be midnight! Happy New Years, Luke!" she said and she threw her arms around him in a hug.

He returned the hug and even though he didn't know what it meant, he said, "Happy New Years to you as well."

They separated and watched the distant lights of the brightly colored fireworks overhead. Ande's eyes grew wide as she looked on with child-like fascination.

Maybe the party hadn't been so bad after all.

Of course, he later wished he hadn't gone at all because of what happened next.

Because directly in front of them, something monstrous sprang out from the underbrush, attacking with sudden ferocity. It was nothing like Loki had ever encountered. It was huge, with a lion's head and the body of a hoofed animal. Its tail was a black snake with venom dripping off of its fangs.

Loki had known something was off about tonight. He should have listened to his senses and gone home when he had the chance. There was no time to reminisce, however, and he sprung into action.

Magic filled his palms, and he sent a wave of purple fire at the beast. It stumbled, but regained its footing, shooting a breath of flame out of its maw. Loki avoided the fire and summoned the power of Yggdrasil. He channeled it into his magic as he sent one attack after another at the creature.

It suddenly struck out and knocked Loki off his feet. The pain was extreme. Loki could feel a gash sliced across his forehead and blood stained his vision. He felt poison seeping into his blood stream and realized the snake must have bitten him. He had to keep fighting though, because Andelyn was... um... no longer sitting there. Loki glanced quickly around as he stood again and noted that she had disappeared.

Fear struck his heart. She had to be alright, right? She couldn't be... He refused to think of the other options as to what had happened to her.

Then he noticed her. She was holding a shiny bronze-gold sword in one hand and a matching shield engraved with an owl in the other. Fighting the monster - whatever it was.

Loki used his magic again and successfully threw the beast to the ground. Before it could arise again, Loki sent another spell at it and it momentarily stunned it. He was about to go in for the kill, but a flash of bronze beat him to it. The monster disintegrated into golden powder which blew away with a sudden burst of wind. They stood there panting before remembering the other was still there as well.

Loki and Ande stared at each other for a long moment. All around them, fire burned and the air smelled heavily of smoke. Ande was still holding her sword and shield, and Loki had magical purple flames dancing across his palms.

"Um... Well this is awkward," Ande said finally.

"Yes, quite," Loki calmly replied, though the calm was clearly forced. He went about healing his wound using his magic. It fixed itself in seconds, drawing the venom out. His vision cleared. "Care to explain what exactly that was?"

"A chimera. I didn't think they existed out here in this region. I don't know what drew it here tonight." She glanced at the place where it has erupted from the bushes.

"That's not what I meant. Why were you able to attack that thing? Do you care to explain about what that was all about?" he clarified and pointed to her sword.

"Nope. Do you?" she said. She had also been injured in the fight, ending up with several large cuts going down her arm. She shoved some sort of substance in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed and the wound seemed to heal instantaneously.

"Not at all. How about we forget this ever happened and never bring it up again?" he offered.

"Deal," she agreed.

Ande touched her shield on the top and it morphed into a silver clip, which she slid in her hair. She then did the same to her sword and it reverted back into her little owl necklace. Loki let the magic extinguish on his hands. They both brushed of the dust that had accumulated on their clothing and set off back up the path, both anxious to go home. It had been a very long night.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

><p>Thor woke up the next morning with a severe headache. He groaned and sat up on his bed, noting that his brother was currently still asleep on his own bed across the room.<p>

_'What happened last night? '_he asked himself, cradling his forehead in his palm. Thoughts came flooding back almost immediately, but they were dazed and muddled. Something about a chandelier? Oh, and girls. A lot of them. He vaguely remembered Loki dragging his alcohol-induced state back home early this morning. His brother had been angry with him, for some reason.

He reached over to the bedside table for a glass of water sitting there. He'd live through this hangover – he had experienced worse. The lukewarm water was stale, but he gulped it down anyways. He set the glass back down with a loud clunk, which woke Loki.

Loki's normally perfectly done hair was askew across his head. His eyes were disoriented from lack of sleep. It was a rather funny sight in Thor's opinion, and he started laughing stupidly.

Loki didn't say anything. He glared fiercely at Thor, who stopped chuckling almost immediately. Never had he seen his younger brother so upset with him.

"What?" Thor said defensively.

Loki still kept quiet and stalked off to the bathroom. Thor figured it was about time for him to get up as well and hopefully find some food.

He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. The mortal family posing as the boys' aunt and uncle had left yesterday afternoon for a weekend trip to celebrate the New Year alone.

That was just fine with both brothers. Neither really cared for the mortal family much. Thor and Loki could handle themselves just fine alone.

Thor reached the refrigerator and sifted through the contents. He couldn't cook, so anything involving the oven, stove, or microwave was out. He settled on a small cake that mortals called a "cupcake" and a slice of cold, leftover pizza.

By the time he found a plate and had sat down at the kitchen table, Loki had shown up as well, dressed and showered. His hair was no longer messily arranged, which Thor found to be a disappointment. He would have liked to laugh at it more.

Loki scoffed at Thor's interesting breakfast choices and set about making what he would call "real food" – a bagel with cream cheese and jam. He still did not speak, but the expression on his face as he spread the topping was slightly short of fuming.

Thor decided to break the tense silence.

"So, did you have fun at the party?" he asked, chewing his pizza.

Loki froze mid-spread and his face changed to one of somebody about to commit murder. He looked over at Thor with icy eyes.

"It was _fabulous_," he said sarcastically. "The highlight of my evening was dragging your heavy, drunk _ass _home this morning."

"You should really loosen up a bit. I didn't see you drinking. You probably would have had more fun if you had had a bottle or two." Thor shrugged, licking some stray frosting off his finger.

"I don't like alcohol, as you very well should know," Loki muttered angrily. "And you aren't even supposed to be drinking it."

"I'm not?" Thor was confused.

"No! There is a reason we don't allow you near alcohol, and that reason was clearly shown last night when you thought it would be a lovely idea to go for a swing _on the chandelier_," Loki said pointedly.

Thor's mouth fell open in a comical 'O'. "So that really did happen...?"

"Yes, Thor. Don't let your alcohol fried brain deceive you," Loki said and venom practically dripped out of his tone.

"I hope Father isn't angry..." Thor's voice trailed off as he imagined the possibilities of his father's wrath.

"Trust me, he will be," Loki said with a final glare and he marched up the stairs to their bedroom.

Thor continued eating his breakfast in deep thought. He was certain Loki would get over this by lunchtime.

He was wrong, though. Lunch came and went, and Loki was still fuming. Not two words had been uttered out of his mouth since that morning, despite Thor's futile attempts to get Loki to talk to him.

The younger brother didn't even acknowledge the elder when asked to pass the television remote later that afternoon.

This upset Thor. He was catching up on the "Toddlers and Tiaras" episodes he had missed recently, and Loki's refusal to even hand him the remote annoyed him to no end. He decided to speak up.

"Loki, come on, brother. Get over this! It was just a misunderstanding!" he said firmly.

"And exactly what was the point being misunderstood?" he said mockingly. "I recommend you reconsider your word choice before speaking again, Thor." Loki turned back to his book.

Thor thought for a moment about that before replying, "Okay, maybe it wasn't a misunderstanding. But it was an accident! I didn't mean for you to have to take me home this morning."

"It's not just that, Thor! You knew you shouldn't have even touched the drinks." Loki threw up his hands in an exasperated gesture. "Now we have to find a way to pay for that chandelier you destroyed."

"I'll pay for it!" Thor exclaimed. "You don't even have to worry about it, little brother."

"You do not have a job. How exactly do you expect to afford it?" Loki raised his eyebrows.

"I will find a job. It will be not a problem," Thor assured him.

Loki hardly looked relieved like Thor had expected him to. He turned his head slightly to the side and glared out the window.

"Is everything else alright, brother? You still seem bothered," Thor observed gently.

Loki let out a single, mirthless laugh and shook his head, not in a denying-things way, but in a way that further proved Thor's theory that perhaps there was something else the matter.

"You can tell me. Was someone rude to you last night? Who was it? I shall destroy them!" Thor roared, standing up from his bed.

Loki rolled his eyes and sighed. "_Sit down_, Thor. No, nobody was rude to me at the party. I'm fine." His tone was bitter and cold.

Thor could tell that wasn't the whole truth. Loki was clearly not fine, but he decided to let the subject drop.

It was late that night when the letter from Odin arrived, delivered by one of his sacred ravens. The large bird swooped through the window Loki insisted on having open and deposited the envelope on Loki's desk.

Thor watched as Loki gingerly picked it up and carefully opened it, hesitating to read it. His green eyes slowly took in each word, his face falling into a shameful and angry expression by the time he was finished. He dropped the paper onto his stack of notebooks and left the room in a hurry.

Thor strode over to the desk and snatched the letter up. It said:

_My son, Loki,_

_Never before have I been more ashamed of your behavior. What was going through your mind as you allowed your brother to consume alcohol? I dearly wish to know. Whilst you were absent, Thor very nearly exposed his true identity to the entire mortal race. Had you been there, I believe you would have been able to deter him. Fortunately, he went unheard and the impending crisis was narrowly avoided._

_However, I cannot ignore the fact that you had let him be near alcohol without supervision. As your punishment, I am removing your privileges to magic for one month. During this time, you will not be able to use any magic. Up until now, I have granted your usage of minor magic amongst mortals, so long as it went unnoticed. But due to your erratic and irresponsible actions in regards to your brother, I cannot allow this to continue any longer. I fear that you will single-handedly reveal our existence to Midgard through use of your magic._

_Give my kindest and most sincere regards to Thor. Your mother waits impatiently for you both to return._

_Your Father,_

_Odin All-Father_  
><em>Ruler of Asgard<em>

Thor sighed in frustration. He couldn't believe that Odin was blaming Loki for Thor's own actions. It wasn't fair that Loki was being punished.

He left the room in search of his brother. He first checked the bathroom, and then he went down to the main floor to continue his search. After looking for nearly fifteen minutes, Thor came to the conclusion that Loki was no longer in the building.

That worried Thor. What if his little brother had ran away? He could be lost in the snow storm brewing outside! But then Thor reminded himself that Loki was far too smart to run away in such conditions. He still might be in the yard though. Thor figured he might as well check.

Thor donned his coat and headed outside. Sure enough, Loki was standing on the patio, gazing up at the heavens above. He wasn't even wearing a coat or jacket, which struck Thor as odd.

Thor walked to stand next to his brother. He took a deep breath.

"Loki, look. I'll talk to Father and get the punishment removed. I'll tell him it was my fault and-" he started, but Loki cut him off.

"Thor... Have you ever felt that perhaps I don't belong in this family?" he said quietly.

"Never. Why would you think that?" Thor blinked, surprised.

"Then why does Father treat you so much better then me? Why does he blame me for your mishaps?" Loki sorrowfully whispered.

"Father loves you as much as he loves me. He loves us equally. You are my brother and you always have been. As I told you, I will discuss your punishment with Father and get it revoked. Now stop spewing such nonsense," Thor concluded with a sense of finality.

Loki sighed but didn't say anything further.

Thor was caught up in a sudden moment of nostalgia and crushed his little brother in a giant hug.

"Ahh! Thor! Get off me!" Loki commanded, his voice muffled because his mouth was being covered by Thor's coat.

"No. I love you, Loki! You'll always be my favorite brother," Thor said in a sing-song voice, a big stupid grin stretched across his face.

"That's _lovely_. Now let go! You're crushing me!" Loki gasped.

Thor released the younger boy, who stumbled a bit while rubbing the ribs Thor had squeezed.

"And for the record, I am your only brother," Loki said, but he appreciated it all the same.

"Oh. Well, if I had more than one brother, you would be my favorite!" Thor said jovially, ruffling Loki's hair. "Perhaps Mother's new baby will be a boy when she has it. Then you will know my sentiment is true. I hear she wants to name it Baldur if it is a boy," Thor said, wrinkling his nose. "Can you imagine a more ridiculous name?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. She could always name it Thor. Now _that _is a ridiculous name," Loki teased, a playful glint in his eyes. Then he dashed back in the house before Thor could figure out what he had just said.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

><p>After having such a terrible winter break, Loki was relieved to go back to school. He was excited to get back to his regular routine of rushing to get to classes on time and homework. He even missed the rather grotesque school lunches.<p>

One thing he wasn't entirely looking forward to, however, was seeing Andelyn again. He hadn't spoken to her since the incident at the party. He did miss being with her, but he was afraid that it might raise some awkward questions.

Loki had spent days pondering the strange events that had occurred that night. He was having a hard time understanding it and being confused was not something Loki enjoyed.

Something had attacked them. That was what did make sense. What didn't make sense was Ande's strange behavior. She had somehow turned a necklace into a sword and then fought that monster using it. Magic wasn't a trait mortals were supposed to have, but yet that was clearly magic. There was no other explanation.

Which left Loki wondering, who – or _what – _is she really? She cannot be a regular mortal. Loki was certain of that.

They had made an agreement to never speak of it again, but Loki knew that the subject would arise again eventually. He needed answers.

For the moment, Loki decided to try to pretend it never happened and act natural around her.

This was easier said then done, though, because every time he heard her voice he remembered the strange conversation she had been having with some unknown entity that night in the garden. Every time he glanced at her, he saw her holding her sword and shield again. It was becoming increasingly difficult to be around her.

He really needed a distraction, but the one that came was not what he expected.

Loki had been standing by his locker as usual on Monday morning, waiting for Andelyn to arrive so they could walk to geography together, when he felt a light tap on his arm. He spun on his heel to see a girl waiting there. Loki had never seen this girl before at school, and figured he would have remembered her if he had.

She was absolutely stunning. She had long, flowing blond hair and the brightest green eyes he had ever seen, brighter then even his own. She wore a simple green dress over a pair of black leggings and black high-heeled boots.

Yes, she was gorgeous. But there was something peculiar about her and whatever it was, Loki could sense it was not all good. There was an aura surrounding her and Loki recognized it as one of magic, similar to his own. He subconsciously prepared to defend himself if need be. He walked several steps away, assuming he had been blocking her locker or something like that. That wasn't really the case though.

"Hi! I'm Amy Endress. I'm new here. What's your name?" She had a bubbly tone to her high pitched voice.

"My name is Luke Odinson. Pleasure to meet you," he offered, extending his hand cautiously as Ande had taught him to when meeting a new person.

She didn't take it, instead just staring at him until he dropped it. That confused him. Weren't mortals supposed to shake hands when they met? Had he not done it correctly?

"I was wondering if you could show me around! I've heard you're super nice," she gushed, flipping her hair slightly and blinding him with a smile.

"Yes. Absolutely." Loki wasn't sure what made him agree so readily. Amy totally and completely captivated him. He shooed away all feelings of distrust immediately, questioning himself on why he had ever felt that way in the first place. It was ridiculous of him to think that there was something off about her. She was perfect in every way.

He offered her his arm as if in a trance and she took it, beaming. He started leading her through the hall, feeling dazed.

Back at her locker, Ande glared at their retreating forms, slamming her locker shut with much more force then necessary. Loki didn't hear; his ears were full of Amy's giggles.

It turned out that Amy had the same morning schedule as he did. He walked her to each class, though he still wasn't sure why he did. She didn't sit with him at lunch however, and that made him sad for some reason.

He sat alone at the table he had chosen, watching for Amy to come over. He really hoped she would. Instead, Ande approached him.

"Hey, Luke. Can I sit with you or is this seat taken already?" Ande said, but there was a distinct edge of bitterness to her voice.

"No, no. Go ahead," Loki said distantly, still looking around for Amy.

After she slid into the other side of the booth, Loki was pretty sure she started talking to him, but he made no sign of acknowledgment. He had finally seen where Amy was sitting and was struggling to make eye contact with her.

"Luke? Luke! Are you even listening to me?" Ande demanded. Loki finally turned his gaze at her, blinking slowly.

"Sorry, did you say something?" he asked dazedly. Ande narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I did say something, but you were too busy staring off into space. What's gotten into you today? You're acting really strange," she folded her arms across her chest.

"Um… I'm just fine. How have I acted strange?" he asked, struggling to keep his attention on her.

"You've been ignoring me all day. You have this weird look in your eyes. You're acting all confused and distant and it's starting to freak me out," she listed. Loki had stopped listening again. "Luke? You're ignoring me again, aren't you?" she snapped. When that got no response, she stood up angrily and left. Loki didn't even notice.

****0-o-Ψ-o-0****

Thor opened the newspaper again for the second time that afternoon, hoping that perhaps he had missed something from when he first looked through it.

He flipped the pages to the "Help Wanted" section and skimmed through once more. Still nothing. Thor was growing frustrated.

"Curse this mortal paper! How dare it not reveal to me, the mighty Thor, what I seek!" he shouted at it, immediately feeling stupid for yelling at a piece of paper.

He sighed to himself. This finding a job thing was much more difficult than he had realized it was going to be. But he needed the money so badly to pay for his little accident at the party the other day.

_'What kind of mortal has five-hundred dollar chandeliers in their homes?' _he thought to himself. Midgardian money was absolutely ridiculous. Angrily, he pushed his chair back from the table and stood up. He grabbed his coat and decided to go for a walk around town to clear his head. The sky was overcast and the television had reported chances of snow for later that afternoon. It was frigid outside; Thor could see his breath in the frosty air.

Thor had walked for several blocks before he noticed that he had no idea where he was. He glanced at the street sign again, but it was no help. He hadn't bothered learning mortal directions or street numbers. He groaned out of frustration and figured he'd just keep wandering and see if he could find his own way home.

The wind picked up soon after he made that decision, and the snow soon followed. Dusk was quickly nearing and it was growing colder by the minute. He was now in a completely different part of town that he didn't recognize. It seemed to be the business part of the city because there were several stores surrounding him.

He entered one of the larger ones, surrounded by a lot where mortals parked their cars. A large blue sign above the entrances proclaimed it to be called "Walmart", a foolish name in Thor's opinion. He approached the doors and was surprised when they slid open as if with magic.

Thor walked around, looking for an employee, but he realized he didn't know how to tell one apart from the mortal crowd. He glanced around hopelessly. A banner near the front where he had entered said, "Customer Service". Thor headed towards it, hoping to find some assistance there.

He approached the mortal at the counter and was about to ask for a map when he spotted a piece of bright pink paper stating, "Help Wanted- Apply Here". An idea quickly began taking root in his mind. He cleared his throat.

"Is this where you go to apply for a job?" he asked, flashing his most attractive grin at the female employee. Her eyes went wide as she looked him over.

"Y-yes. Would you like an application?" she responded quickly, reaching under the counter.

"I would love one, ma'am, if you would be so kind," he said smoothly and flirtatiously.

She blushed and pulled out a paper and pen. She handed it to him and said, "You can fill it out here and I'll give it to the manager."

Thor accepted the offered items and walked several steps away to fill it in. It asked basic questions, such as his name, age, phone number and the reason he wanted the job. He filled it in quickly and handed it back to the cashier.

"We'll call you if he accepts the application and you can come back for an interview," she said with a forced calmness apparent on her flushed face.

"Thank you so very much, my dear. It was lovely meeting you." He smiled again at her and left the store, feeling confident about the situation. One way or another, he would get this job.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

><p>Thor rubbed his eyes wearily, fatigue seeping in. It had been a long day, and he was ready for sleep despite the time being only six in the evening. His afternoon had consisted of rude customers, screaming children, and an endless supply of noise. He couldn't wait for his shift to end so he could finally go home.<p>

_'Only fifteen minutes. I can make it fifteen more minutes,_' he silently encouraged himself as he did a price check on an item for the twentieth time that day.

"Credit, cash, or debit?" he asked for what seemed to be the thousandth time.

"Cash," the customer said brightly, though Thor didn't understand why anyone could have a positive outlook on life at the moment. He mentally groaned; he hated figuring change.

He especially hated when the patron insisted on paying in quarters and dimes, which the current customer was doing. It was extremely annoying, because it typically took them ages to count out and it took him another age to recount it to assure they had paid correctly. He had never been good with numbers.

When Thor finally managed to return the correct change, he noticed that there was only five minutes left until he could leave. He detested this mortal job.

He figured he might as well pack up and get ready to leave, so he began to do just that. He was about to sign out of the checking stand when a call came over his employee radio. His eye twitched out of irritation as he pressed the answer button.

"We have a spill in aisle three. See to it that it gets cleaned up," the overcoming voice announced.

Thor growled in frustration, marching away from his stand and in the general direction of the aforementioned aisle, grabbing a mop as he passed the sanitary supplies station.

The mess that greeted him was not pleasant. Jars of food were smashed everywhere, the floor reminiscent of vomit. Thor himself wanted to throw up at the smell that wafted its way into his nose. _'What in the name of Yggdrasil had caused this mess?'_ he thought sickeningly to himself.

He saw his answer at the other end of the aisle where a sleek black cat sat staring at him. It almost looked as if it were smirking, bright green eyes flashing.

Thor clenched his hands into fists. Loki knew how much Thor hated this job. What would compel him to make it even worse? He wanted nothing more then to charge at his brother's shape-shifted form and smash him, but before he had the chance the cat slipped away, leaving Thor to clean up the mess.

He cursed the mischievous Loki under his breath and begrudgingly began to mop the sticky, gross spillage.

****0-o-Ψ-o-0****

Loki didn't know what had gotten into him lately. He had been causing more mischief and trouble then he ever had before and he didn't understand what was causing him to do such things. Last week, he had some crazy idea that it would be hilariously amusing to go annoy Thor at his work. Thor had reluctantly forgiven him, but Loki still did not know why he had done it in the first place.

Whatever the reason, it was also causing his friendship with Ande to fall apart. They were barely on speaking terms as of late.

On the other hand, his relationship with Amy was growing ever stronger. He thought about her all the time. He couldn't explain that either, because he didn't exactly enjoy her company. Loki would start finding her annoying one minute but the next he would fall head over heels in love with everything she did. It didn't make sense.

Loki was miserable. He missed Ande. She was much easier to be around, but he would never admit that out loud. Amy gets disgusted whenever he even mentions Ande's name.

On the first day of March, Loki decided to apologize to Ande and try to patch their friendship up. He walked to school that morning, formulating a plan as he went. He spotted her by her locker and started heading towards her.

"Luke!" Amy intercepted his path. "Oh my gosh! Hi!" she kissed him on the cheek.

Loki immediately forgot all about any plans of talking to Ande. Amy was much more important in that moment.

"Hello Amy," he said and he felt a ridiculous smile forming on his face.

"Come on, walk me to our next class," she crooned and grabbed Loki's arm and leading him away.

Later that day in the library, Ande finally approached Loki for the first time in three weeks.

"We need to talk," she declared.

"About what?" Loki raised his eyebrows.

"That girl you're always with now. What's her name again?" she asked sourly.

"Amy. Amy Endress," Loki said, suddenly hating the way it sounded on his tongue.

"Yeah, her. There is something weird about her," Ande started.

"Weird? You don't know anything about weird," Loki rolled his eyes.

"Oh, don't I?" Ande narrowed her gray eyes at him. "Luke, I don't know what's gotten into you lately. And if I were you, I would stay away from her."

"You honestly need to get over your trust issues. But thanks for the warning." Loki smirked. Amy was perfect and he couldn't believe Ande didn't see that.

"Anytime," she replied just as coldly, before getting up and leaving him. He felt more miserable then ever.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Spring was in the air. The sweet scents of flowers drifted in the windows, reaching even into the stuffiest of classrooms. The days were steadily growing both longer and warmer as mid-March approached. The clouds had all but gone away, save for the occasional spring shower and the sun was bright. Robins chirped near constantly, able to drive even the calmest person to near insanity.

Loki was put in a better mood then he had been in a long time because of it. Tensions between Ande and him had evaporated, though their friendship was still awkward, especially whenever Amy was around.

Amy wouldn't leave Loki alone for a second and followed him around everywhere in school, always hanging to his arm. The only break he got was at lunch in the library where she refused to ever set foot. He wasn't sure how he felt about not being around her during that one hour; it was a mixture of relief and sadness at the same time.

Ande didn't have a problem with her not being around. They hated each other with a strong passion. Girls never had made sense to Loki.

The two sat quietly in the library together. Loki tried to concentrate on his book, but the silence was so different from the usual and it made him uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Ande?" he began nervously.

"Hm?" she replied, barely sparing him a glance from her book.

"Erm… I was wondering… if you weren't busy this weekend, would you want to go to the public library you were telling me about with me?" he rushed.

"Oh. I'd love to, but I'm going out of town for the next week or so. I'm going to visit my extended family in New York," she explained, though she didn't seem very happy about the prospect.

"That's too bad. Maybe when you get back?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe." She smiled sincerely, and it was the first smile he had seen her with for a long time.

"So, when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. My flight takes off at seven in the morning and I have to be at the airport by five. It's a five and a half hour flight, and I'm not really looking forward to it." She grimaced.

They returned to their reading for a moment.

"Luke?" Ande said casually.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I… Um… Just be careful while I'm gone, okay? I mean, don't get into any fights or anything like that." She tried to say it jokingly, but Loki could sense the genuine worry behind her words.

Why did she need to worry though? What was there to worry about in this pathetic, mortal world? In the next couple of days, however, he would find the answer to those questions.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Thor was ecstatic. Having finally saved enough money to pay for the chandelier he had broken at the party three months ago, he was able to quit his ridiculous job once and for all. He practically bounced out of giddiness to his manager's office. No more counting change, preventing his brother from causing mischief, and dealing with customers ever again. He could barely keep the smile from his face.

He quickly composed himself as he approached the office. He had his resignation paper clutched in one hand and his Walmart blue apron in the other, ready to turn them in and never get them back. Thor knocked.

"Come in!" cried his manager's voice from inside the room.

Thor opened the door and had to keep himself from bounding in. He slammed his papers down on the desk and dropped his apron with an equal flourish.

"Sir, I'm resigning," and with that, he ran out of the office and out through the magic moving doors of Walmart, happy for the first time in a month. Out in the park across the street, he saw a group of kids chasing each other around with sticks and plastic red, white, and blue shields. He was almost tempted to join them. But then he remembered he had a date tonight, and he definitely did not want to be late.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

><p>Loki sat alone in the library, idly flipping through a book on Greek mythology. He had always known about the existence of the Greek gods, but had never met them. Different pantheons tended to remain separate.<p>

Each page was about a different deity. He wasn't really reading the descriptions, instead simply looking at the pictures. It was rather Thor-like to do so, but he honestly wasn't in a reading mood.

He flipped the page, turning from Apollo to Athena. He was about to turn it again, but something caught his eye and made him freeze. Loki studied the picture more carefully, leaning in to get a better look. The reason for his sudden concentration was attributed to one thing: Athena's eyes in the picture. They were of an unusual color; a deep, stormy grey.

They were also the exact shade of Ande's eyes. He had always thought of her eyes as strange, but seeing this picture put an idea in his head.

As soon as the idea began to form, other similarities began popping out at him. Curly hair, posture, nose shape, eye shape. They had the same cheekbones and a heart shaped face. He also recalled the night of the party, when Ande had been talking to somebody she called "Mother" and then the magic sword that appeared out of an owl necklace... An owl, Athena's sacred symbol.

And what about when he hadn't been able to sway her mind the day he had attacked his gym teacher? It suddenly clicked in his brain. He let out the breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding.

He knew it was true as soon as he came to the conclusion. It all made sense, fitting together like a puzzle. The only question he still had was why he hadn't realized it all before.

Ande wasn't as mortal as she appeared to be.

He sat staring at the book in deep thought, still calculating his revelation when Amy sat down right beside him. They were so close; she was practically on his lap. She looped her arms around his neck and smiled.

"Amy?" Loki asked, surprised. As far as he was aware, she had never set foot in a library before. "What are you doing here?"

"Silly." She playfully swatted his arm. "Can't I visit you at lunch without all of the questions?"

Loki noticed how close she had leaned her face in. It was making him uncomfortable. "It's just, you've never come in here before..." his voice trailed off and he was forcing himself to look at the wall behind her as opposed to her face.

"Well, the real reason I'm here is because I have something to show you. Come on." She giggled and stood up, tugging him up with her. He reluctantly allowed her to.

She clutched his hand in a tight grip and pulled him along behind her, heading to a deserted, older part of the school building. As far as Loki knew, none of the classrooms in this section had been used in a long time due to safety hazards. Unusual, wasn't it, that Amy would take him here of all places? He tried to voice his concerns.

"Amy? What exactly are we doing down here? Students aren't allowed in this hallway," he started.

"Oh, you'll see in a minute. It's a surprise," she said vaguely and giggled in response, but in that small laugh there was a darker undertone that put Loki on guard. He was becoming nervous.

Amy pushed him into one of the unlocked and empty classrooms. Loki looked around at his surroundings. A layer of dust covered the counter tops and microscopes; it was an old science lab-room. The window shades were drawn, but natural sunlight filtered in from the skylights above.

There was a sense of unease in the air. He needed to leave and suddenly, he didn't want to know what Amy was planning after all.

Loki was preparing to make a run for it, but the sound of the door shutting and the click of the lock put a halt to any of his plans. Sure, he could use magic as an escape, but that would include revealing his identity to Amy and he didn't want to do that. Perhaps it was necessary in this situation, however. He subconsciously reached for his magic, keeping it at hand just in case he needed a hasty escape.

He stood stiff, whirling around to face the door and confront Amy, but she was no longer there. Loki heard Amy's slow footsteps approaching him from behind, though how she had managed to suddenly end up back there, he did not know.

She softly trailed a light finger along his shoulder blades. His hair stood on end and his entire body tensed. He could feel her cold breath on the back of his neck. It smelt like raspberries; Loki detested raspberries. He felt the sudden urge to vomit, but managed to prevent himself from doing so.

"What exactly are you doing?" he asked hesitantly, shying away from her touch.

"Isn't it obvious?" she drawled and began to slowly walk around him in a circle, occasionally stroking a sharp-nailed finger along his jaw or up his arm. Loki was too paralyzed with anticipation to do anything other than stand there. He glanced weakly at the locked door, wishing he was standing on the other side of it, or better yet, still in the library.

"Not really, no." He silently praised himself for not stuttering. His fingers were twitching anxiously, prepared to use his magic the moment it was necessary.

"I see," Amy stated plainly, still circling him. Loki couldn't help but compared it to the way Thor's pet falcon flew in a circle before diving in for the kill. He suppressed a shudder as she drew a finger down his collarbone. "I couldn't believe you didn't recognize me at first glance when we met in the hallway that first day. Are your senses weakening, my friend? No matter if they are; my plan will work anyways."

Loki remained silent, his brain comprehending her words. He didn't think he had any idea what she was talking about, though a nagging little voice in the back of his head told him otherwise...

"Let me explain this simply," she began. "You have something that I want. Call it what you will, but I'd like to refer to it as magic."

Loki froze, stiller than ever, if that was possible. His quick mind formulated a lie, being ever the silver-tongue he is.

"Are you feeling alright? Magic doesn't exist," he said, trying to be smooth.

"Oh, but it does. Perhaps not in this world, but this isn't the only world, now is it?" she murmured, a smirk crossing her ruby-red lips. "Or should I call them realms?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Loki said, going for an air of obliviousness. "Why don't we go to class? It should be starting soon-"

She cut him off. "Don't lie to me. I can see right through you. And you call yourself the prince of lies. It's pathetic, really." She chuckled. "Yes, I know exactly who you are, son of Odin. You are the god of mischief himself, Loki."

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Thor was anxious. He had been waiting at the movie theater for over fifteen minutes and his date still hadn't shown. This was unlike Thor because usually Loki was the one to fret over time. But the movie they were going to see was starting soon and there was still no sign of her. He checked his watch again. 1:15, it read. He was skipping school for this. It was worth it, although he hoped he wouldn't be spotted ditching.

When a car pulled up with five minutes until it began, he breathed a sigh of relief. They wouldn't be late after all. She hopped out of the blue car and joined him by the ticket stand.

He had met Lauren Endress nearly a month ago. He'd seen her walking in the hallway one day and stopped to speak with her. She apparently was the younger sister of one of Loki's friends and despite her being two mortal-years younger than he was, Thor had fallen in love with her instantly. He asked her out to the movies the next day.

He wasn't sure why he was so captivated by her. Perhaps it was her long, silky red hair or her stunning spring green eyes? He wasn't sure. But that didn't matter.

What mattered was that she had actually shown up.

"Hello, Lauren," he said smoothly. He scooped up her hand and planted a kiss on it. To his surprise, she didn't pull away like most mortal woman did. She had seemed to expect it, in fact. If Thor wasn't so busy staring at her face, he might have thought that to be odd.

"Hi, Th- Uh... Trevor," she corrected. Thor didn't catch on to the slip up.

"Shall we?" he politely offered her his arm. She took it and they walked into the theater together. The ticket collector took the slips of paper and directed them to the correct screening room.

"Let's sit in the front," Thor said and started to lead her down the row.

"I'd rather sit in the back. Over there, in the corner," she pointed to the very darkest corner of the room.

"Alright," Thor said perplexedly. _'Whatever she wants,'_ he thought and followed her over to where she had pointed to.

"Do you want a drink?" he suggested, standing up.

"I'll get them. You stay here," she said quickly and pushed him back down. She rushed quickly out of the theater to the concession stand, leaving Thor sitting in his seat.

Lauren returned just as the previews started playing. She held one cup which she handed to Thor.

"No, thank you. I'm not thirsty." He waved it off.

"Drink it," she said with a glare. She was behaving very oddly, Thor noticed. He accepted the cup, but put it in the holder.

Satisfied, Lauren took her seat beside him. The previews finally ended and the lights dimmed. The movies theme music began playing through the speakers and Thor settled in to watch what would end up being a very ridiculous movie.

Three-quarters of the way through, Thor noticed Lauren glance at him in surprise as if she had forgotten he was there. Her eyes drifted down to the untouched cup in between their seats.

"Why haven't you drunk any?" she demanded.

"I-I'm not thirsty," Thor stuttered upon seeing her furious glare.

"Drink it," she said angrily. Then as if noticing her tone, added, "Please," in a sugary voice. She batted her eyelids.

Thor picked up the cup and drank the entire thing in merely three gulps. It tasted sweeter then he had expected. Almost _sickly_-sweet. He looked over to see Lauren smile victoriously.

"My work here is done." She laughed.

Thor started to wonder what she meant, but black spots began clouding his vision. He felt woozy and sick and light-headed all at once. He was on the verge of blacking out.

"Goodbye, Thor Odinson," was the last thing he heard before everything went dark.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

><p>"Who are you?" Loki gasped, his heart beating frantically. His mind was spinning with questions, but that was the only one he seemed to be able to voice.<p>

"Me? Why, I think that should be as clear as day now, Loki. We've been friends since we were children. Shouldn't you recognize me?" Amy said with a look of mock surprise.

Loki stared at her for a moment, the answer slowing falling into place.

"Amora. It's you," he breathed in shock, taking an involuntary step backwards. "But aren't you supposed to be in exile on the Isle of Silence?"

"Odin may claim to see all, but even he cannot catch every little disturbance in the nine realms," she sneered. "After I am through with you, I shall return to Asgard and make him pay for what he did to me. It'll be quite fun. I'd invite you to join me, but I'm afraid you won't be fit for travel."

"You've always been jealous, Amora. Jealous that I was the top sorcerer back when we were in training together. We were never friends. Now, as your prince, I command you to leave," he stated boldly, trying to be intimidating.

She laughed mockingly. "You can't tell me what to do. You can't do anything to me. Your powers are useless while in this room."

Loki wasn't about to believe her. Amora was just as much a liar as he was. He prepared himself to teleport out, but a sudden string of magic wrapped around his legs and prevented him from taking the necessary step to transport to a different dimension. Another tendril of sorcery continued winding around his torso, binding his arms to his sides. He was trapped.

With a casual flick of her wrist, Loki was forced backwards and onto a chair. Amora perched herself on his lap, coiling her arms around his neck. She batted her eyelids seductively.

"What a pity, Loki. You are a handsome boy. It's a shame to lose such a fine man as you. But, oh, well, it's worth the loss." She sighed dramatically, leaning in ever closer, her bright green eyes penetrating his darker emerald ones.

Loki hated doing this, but it was his last hope. He squeezed his eyes shut and called to Thor in his mind, using the link he had forged so many years ago. It hadn't been used in a long time, not since they were both small children and Loki needed his brother to comfort him when he had a nightmare.

"It won't work. Thor will not respond. He cannot respond," Amora said calmly, somehow knowing what he was doing.

_"What did you do to him?"_ Loki demanded roughly. He struggled against the invisible bonds.

"I had my sister take care of him. Lorelei is useful, though she is a blubbering idiot. If it all went to plan, the mighty Thor is now dead," she gloated with a smug look, slipping off of his lap and continuing her circling him from earlier.

Loki felt as if the nine realms had suddenly fallen on his shoulders and he was forced to bear the weight. Thor could not be dead; he was too strong, too powerful. He was the golden son of Asgard, the best warrior of all time. It was impossible that his older brother could be gone. Tears pricked his eyes and he fought to hold them back.

"He was of no real value anyways." She shrugged carelessly. "You, on the other hand, are extremely valuable to me in one way only. As I said before, I am going to take your magic."

"You can't have it," Loki sputtered, still trying to wrap his brother's death around his mind. He could practically feel his heart crumbling inside.

Amora laughed shrilly, saying, "I don't need your permission. I'll take it whether you like it or not. Now stay still." She snapped her fingers and the bonds tightened. He was finding it difficult to breathe.

She closed her eyes and placed a single finger on Loki's pale forehead. His body stiffened to the point where he could move no more. Then came the pain.

Endless waves of anguish rushed through his body and were concentrated at the point where Amora's finger was placed. He felt as if he his bones were in flames and freezing at the same time and it was a horrid feeling. Terrible images flashed through his head. He saw his family be killed one by one… First Thor, then his mother, his father… He even saw Sif and Heimdall be slain in front of him. He watched his home of Asgard burn to the ground and terrible, cruel laughter rang in his ears. He felt his strength draining as the relentless torture threatened to engulf his very soul...

And suddenly, it was over. The pain was gone, but he was weaker than he had ever been before. It was a struggle to open his tear encrusted eyes and raise his head from where it hung. His body sagged against the bonds holding him, and he no longer felt the need to fight them.

Amora stood smiling triumphantly, a heart-shaped, purple gemstone dangling in her small hand from a black cord. It was all of his magic, condensed into one simple element. He could feel the power radiating off of it. Amora placed it around her neck.

"I thank you, Loki," she grinned maliciously. "Now I shall leave you live out the rest of your life – as a mortal. It honestly won't be a very long life, however. I expect Midgard will fall when I conquer Asgard. All of that assuming you don't die within the next hour from exhaustion."

She snapped her fingers and the ropes holding him disappeared. He slumped off of his chair and onto the cold, hard floor. Amora snorted.

"And with that, I take my leave. Toodaloo, Loki. We won't be meeting again." Amora's high-heeled boots clicked against the tile as she left the room, laughing coldly.

Loki couldn't do more than lie there like a dead fish. He was drained, both emotionally and physically. His entire body ached and shook. At the moment, he just wanted to die. His magic was gone. Thor was gone, and his parents were going to be killed as well. What else was there to live for? He wished darkness would take over him all ready, as it inevitably would. He craved nothing more then to be in the twilight of the underworld with his brother.

As the Norns would have it, death never came to take him away. He wasn't sure how long he laid there. It could have been days for all he knew. Loki slipped in and out of consciousness several times and his condition did not improve in the slightest.

He barely registered the cool hands shaking him, yelling at him. A large stream of water to his face brought him back to reality. Loki blinked weakly, spluttering and staring up at a pair of deep gray eyes as they swam into view above him.

"Oh, thank the gods. You're alive." Ande sighed with relief. She was kneeling beside him and she immediately tossed the bucket aside and hugged him tightly when she saw he was awake.

"Ande?" Loki muttered. "What're you doing here?" His head felt heavy and confused.

"It's a long story." She pulled back from the hug. "In short, I had a dream that you were in trouble this morning so I hopped on a plane and flew right back here. What happened?" she added as she glanced around at the dusty room, scorched from fire he didn't know had occurred.

"The Enchantress happened. You were right about Amy. She was bad news," Loki sat up slowly and wiped the water out of his emerald eyes.

"Are you hurt?" she said when she saw him wince. Her hands fluttered around helplessly, not sure what to do.

"Yes, in a way. Not necessarily physically though," Loki said. "I am weak. My powers are gone."

"What powers?" she asked curiously as she stood. She offered her hand and helped Loki up as well.

"I'll tell you... After you tell me why you didn't tell me you are the daughter of Athena," he said pointedly.

Her face conveyed her surprise. "How did you find out?"

"It wasn't difficult. You look just like her, after all," he added.

"Huh. Interesting." She pondered on that for a moment. "Well, you're right. I'm a demigod. I still don't understand how you found out, though."

"Right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must stop Amora from destroying my home realm." He started walking away from her, but even that simple action left him dizzy.

"Do you need help?" Ande asked when she watched him stumble.

"No. I can manage this alone," he said firmly. He took another step and another until he set an even pace. He walked out of the room and down the hall, locating a door leading to the outside.

Loki was halfway off of the school grounds when he noticed Ande was trailing behind him. He sighed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going with you," she said and kept walking.

"No, you are not. It's too dangerous," he said resolutely.

"Please." She rolled her eyes. "I can handle this. Where are we going, anyways?"

"I am going to Asgard. You are staying here in Midgard," he raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to contradict his order.

"Asgard? What are you talking about?" Ande said perplexedly. "Asgard isn't real"

"It doesn't exist? It is just as real as Olympus." Loki was slightly hurt by that.

"Luke-" she started to say.

"Will you please stop calling me that? I hate that name," Loki snapped, spinning around to face her.

"What do you want me to call you, then?" Ande gave him a weird look.

"I prefer my given name. Call me Loki, please." He rolled his eyes. At the moment, he didn't care who knew about his true identity.

"As in the Norse god of mischief? Cool," she appraised. "Are you named after him? Why do you go by Luke?"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" he snapped. "No, I am not named after him, I _am_ him. Now quit talking and go back to class. I must hurry, and I cannot afford to be slowed down." He didn't mean to sound so rude; he was just irritated at her lack of comprehension. He set off again.

She grabbed his wrist and spun him around to face her. "Listen, Loki or Luke or whatever your name is: I'm going with you, like it or not." She glared fiercely at him.

Loki glared back, not speaking for a moment. Then he slowly nodded his head. He started walking again. She still followed him, jogging to catch up. She met his pace.

"Okay, I guess I'll call you Loki now. Should we go find your brother?" she asked.

"He's dead," Loki said shortly, eyes stinging. "And my parents are well on their way to being the same."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "We should at least check."

He stopped and considered that. "...That isn't a bad idea. In that case, I am going to the movie theater. That's where he last was at," Loki said. Though he would never admit this out loud, he was secretly glad for her company. It would make this trip much easier.

"Whoa, wait." She stopped dead in her tracks. "You mean _the_ movie theater? You aren't planning on walking there are you?"

"If that's what it takes," he said determinedly.

"But that's all the way across the city!" she gasped incredulously. "It'd take at least an hour to walk there. By then it could be too late."

"Do you have a better suggestion?" he challenged, folding his arms across his chest. They had left the school property by now and were stopped at an intersection.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Follow me." She turned down a street. Loki hesitated, but followed her.

After several minutes of walking, they reached her house. She went over to a keypad by the garage and entered in a code. The garage door rumbled open, revealing a small, yellow Volkswagen beetle car inside. It had flower shaped headlights. Loki knew it to be Ande's sister Samantha's car. He found it rather ridiculous.

"Ande... You aren't expecting us to-" he started saying. She cut him off.

"Hop in," Ande said, grabbing a set of keys from a hook by the door and unlocking the car.

"Do you even know how to drive?" he asked.

"No, but now seems as good a time as any to learn," she slid into the drivers seat and inserted the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life.

"Oh dear Yggdrasil," Loki muttered to himself as he reluctantly climbed in the passengers seat.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

><p>"Ande, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Loki asked, forcing himself to stay calm. He was attempting to keep a straight face and a steady voice as to not stress her out anymore.<p>

"Okay, I lied! I don't know what I'm doing!" she cried. They were stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. She had easily driven them up until now – but, of course, there hadn't been traffic back there.

Loki's grip on the door handle tightened. He wanted nothing more then to fling it open and run before they got in a car accident. Why had he ever let her talk him into getting in the car in the first place?

He snuck a glance over at where she sat in the driver's seat. She looked far too young to be sitting there. Her fists were white from holding the steering wheel so firmly. She was leaning forward on the seat, eyes wide with a mixture of fear and anticipation. She was biting her lower lip.

The light turned green. She slammed her foot down on the gas and the car lurched forward, the speedometer shooting upward.

"Ande! Slow down! We're going to crash!" Loki nearly shrieked, eyes glued to the road.

She didn't listen and, if anything, sped up. They caught up to a minivan, and she had to slam on the brakes to avoid ramming into it from behind. Loki flew forward and the only thing that kept him from going through the windshield was his thin seatbelt, which he now clutched as if it were a lifeline.

"Stupid minivan! Go faster!" she yelled angrily, following it very close from behind. She revved the engine, inching closer and closer. The minivan seemed to slow down in comparison.

She suddenly jerked the steering wheel to the left and the little yellow car swung around. She hit the gas pedal and drove into the other lane, flying past the minivan and returning to the street once they had passed it.

_'Dear Odin, this is where it all ends,'_ Loki reflected fearfully as Ande continued to speed up.

"Ande! Enough! Slow this car down!" he shouted, losing his temper.

"No!" she shouted right back. "I am getting you to that movie theater. We don't have time to go slow!"

"We aren't much use to Thor if we die in a crash," he remarked logically.

That made her release the gas pedal, but not necessarily because of his request to. More out of shock than anything else.

"_What?_ Your brother is – is Thor?" she frantically yelled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It slipped my mind! Why does it matter? You don't even believe I'm Loki!" Loki shouted.

"Well, it's kind of hard to believe," she snapped. "Suddenly, it's just like you're telling me that you're the Norse god of mischief. Forgive me for thinking that you may or may not be crazy."

"Oh, so it's okay for you to freak out that I'm Loki, but it isn't okay for me to freak out because you're Athena's daughter? Shouldn't you be used to mythology in modern day by now?" he retaliated coldly. Ande had slowed down considerably.

"... I hate when you're right," she muttered and kept her eyes on the road. Loki smirked.

Ande flung the steering wheel around again, this time to the right, and they sped into the movie theater parking lot. She drove right up to the entrance before yanking out the keys. Both she and Loki dashed out of the car and up to the front desk, panting heavily.

"I'll have two tickets to that one movie with the robots in it," he said, trying to remember what Thor had told him. Thor had gone into profuse detail explaining the movie last night but had never actually mentioned the name. He had mostly been excited about his date.

The ticket salesman gave him an odd look. "You mean Transformers?"

Loki looked at Ande helplessly. She nodded.

"Yes. That's the one," he amended.

The man shrugged and passed two tickets over to him. Ande slapped a twenty dollar bill on the desk and grabbed Loki's arm, pulling him away while shouting, "Keep the change!"

They ran into the correct room. It was empty, thankfully. The next showing didn't start until five and it was only three-thirty.

"Let's split up. You search that half and I'll search this half," Loki said, drawing an invisible line with his fingers. Ande nodded and pulled her owl necklace off from around her neck. Instantly, it formed into her bronze sword, a dim light reflecting off of it from sources Loki didn't know.

He stared at her for a moment, before shaking his head and walking down the aisle. He checked each row, but saw nothing to even point to where Thor might be.

Across the theater, Ande yelled, "He's not over here."

Loki was frustrated. He met Ande down by the movie screen. They both stood silent, thinking. Then an idea came to Loki, and it was so simply obvious, he didn't know why he hadn't thought it before.

"He must have some sort of magic shield around him. That would explain his apparent absence," Loki said. "All I have to do is locate that shield."

"Uh, didn't you mention that your powers were taken by Amy or whoever she is?" Ande pointed out.

Loki shook his head. "I can still sense magic, even if I cannot use my own. It's in my blood as a sorcerer."

"Okay then. Go for it," she encouraged.

Loki closed his eyes and focused on any trace of power he could find. There was the occasional old wisp of magic here and there from who knows what, but nothing powerful enough to count as a shield.

He mentally scanned the entire room, until he felt a powerful wave of energy concentrated in the very back corner. His eyes snapped open.

Loki didn't bother saying anything and just took off running up the stairs. He skidded to a stop by the row he had felt the power from. He dropped to his knees and felt around on the floor.

His hand met something that felt like a shoe. As soon as he touched it, his brother became visible again. Loki let out his breath. Ande finally caught up to him and fell down beside him.

"Here," Loki said nervously. "Help me drag him out to the aisle."

They each grabbed one of Thor's legs and pulled, sliding his heavy body out where they could get a better look at it.

"Check his pulse," Loki demanded anxiously. Ande crawled over to Thor's neck and placed two fingers at his pulse point. Loki waited, almost dreading the answer in case the news wasn't so good.

Ande seemed to take forever in checking. Finally, she let out a sigh of relief and smiled slightly at Loki.

"He's alive," she announced. "But barely. I think we got here just in time."

Loki released a strangled gasp. He didn't have his healing magic; what were they supposed to do?

"I... can't fix him," he mumbled. It felt so cruel that the Norns would tempt him so, holding the safety of Thor just out of his reach.

"I have something we can try," Ande said after a hesitant pause. "But I don't know if it would work. He's a god, right?"

"Yes." Loki gave her a curious and hopeful look. "What exactly is it that you could do?"

She rummaged in her pocket before pulling out a slightly squished piece of bread. She held it out to him.

Loki gave her a look of disdain, so she quickly explained. "It's ambrosia, the food of the Greeks. It's healing food."

"Very well, but Thor is not Greek," Loki said, raising his eyebrows.

"It's pretty much our last resort, okay?" She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. He glared back for a moment before reaching a hand and opening Thor's jaw. He shoved a little piece of the bread into his mouth and watched as Thor automatically chewed it. Loki had to stifle a laugh at that – Thor had always chewed anything that was put in his mouth, whether he was awake or not.

Thor swallowed and his eyes flew open. He took in a great gasp of air and sat up.

Loki sent Ande a look of appraisal which she accepted, looking rather smug.

"Loki? Brother, how did you find me?" Thor asked, confused as ever. Then he noticed Ande and his expression changed to one of fear. "I mean, _Luke_, how did you find me? I didn't say Loki. That's ridiculous-"

"Thor, it's alright. Ande knows," Loki said quietly. "And Amy and Lauren turned out to be Amora and Lorelei. Amora escaped the Isle of Silence. And now she's Hel-bent on destroying Asgard."

"Oh, no, brother. We must stop her!" Thor yelled, standing up with a determined look on his face. "Use your magic and teleport us there!"

Loki and Ande exchanged glances.

"Well, um... You see... Amora took my magic. All of it," Loki explained ashamedly.

"WHAT? Loki, please tell me this is one of your tricks!" Thor shouted, his blue eyes wide.

"It isn't. Trust me. The only way to return to Asgard is to have Heimdall open the gate," Loki said with distaste. He had never gotten along with the gate-keeper very well.

"Yes, yes. Let us go and save our home!" Thor said, dramatically charging out of room.

Loki rolled his eyes, remarking, "It's good to have him back."

Ande stifled a giggle. The two friends followed Thor out into the parking lot, where he was standing looking at the sky. There were purple-grey clouds out in the distance, and they could only mean one thing: Amora had indeed made it to Asgard.

Loki clenched his fists, missing desperately the feeling of rushing magic that accompanied that action. He gritted his teeth.

"Should we go, then? There isn't time to waste," Loki said determinedly.

"Yes. We shall go and save Father and be crowned heroes!" Thor puffed out his chest impressively. He then strode away some distance and began pacing in a large circle.

Loki turned to Ande. "I'd let you come with us, but mortals aren't allowed in Asgard, especially mortals dealing with other pantheons..."

"I understand," she said wistfully. "You'll come back though, right?"

"I will return to Midgard," he said, careful to choose his words correctly. This way, he did not set a specific date for his return. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to come back, or if he even wanted to.

It was enough for Ande. She smiled at him, though it wasn't necessarily a happy one.

"I must be going," Loki said, looking towards his pacing brother. "Asgard needs me. Thank you for everything."

"No, thank _you_ for being my friend when no one else would." Ande looked at the ground, refusing to make eye contact.

"I could say the exact same about you," Loki murmured. It was cliché, and they both knew it. He started to walk away towards Thor.

"Wait," Ande called out after him. Loki stopped and turned to face her again.

She surprised him by running over and crushing him in a hug. He paused a moment before returning it. Ande pulled back and shocked him even more by planting a kiss on his cheek. He stumbled back a few steps.

"Good luck," she said quietly. "You'll always be my best friend." Then she turned and walked quickly away, back to her sister's car.

"Bye, Loki!" she called out before hopping in and speeding off.

"Goodbye, Ande," he muttered, though nobody heard it but him. He watched the bright yellow car turn the corner, and his best friend was gone. He had no idea if he'd ever see her again.

Loki touched his cheek at the spot where she had kissed it, a slow smile creeping up his face.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" Thor's shouted from behind.

Loki ran over and stood by his brother, making it just in time. Thunder roared and a large blast of energy grabbed the two, sending them into the unknown depths of space. Sending them _home_.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

There was a rush in his ears and a tingling sensation that coursed through Thor's body. His feet touched solid ground at last and he opened his eyes to reveal the familiar Asgardian observatory. Heimdall stood watching, holding the key to the Bifrost in both hands, keeping a straight face as usual.

Loki landed with a thud beside him and his knees gave way, crashing to the floor. Thor smirked as he watched his little brother stand up and smooth down his pants.

"Stupid magic deprivation," Thor heard him mutter to himself. It made sense; Loki used his magic to balance himself among other things, and without it he was clearly clumsier.

"Heimdall," Thor started saying in his deep voice. "Have you opened the gate to anybody on this day?"

"Yes, my prince. Once for the All-Father," the gate keeper rumbled. "Though I have sensed strange magic throughout Asgard in the past hour. I assume that is the cause of your abrupt return?"

"Yes," Loki stated. "Amora has escaped from her prison of exile. She is here to destroy Asgard."

"I see. Shall I call for the army to prepare for Ragnarok?" Heimdall began reaching for his great horn.

"This is serious, but it's not the end of the realms." Thor shook his head. "Come, Loki, let us find Amora."

The two brothers walked out of the observatory and onto the rainbow bridge.

"It feels good to be home," Thor said boldly.

"Indeed it does," Loki said quietly, watching the flames of the fires Amora had most likely caused off in the distance.

"Brother, I never thanked you for saving me," Thor said as he turned to face Loki. "I owe my life to you on this day. You have done well, little brother."

Loki smiled and Thor laughed heartily, clapping a hand on his younger brother's smaller shoulder.

"Once again Thor, not so hard," Loki hissed, rubbing his shoulder and glaring at Thor.

Thor didn't hear his brother's complaints; he had already set off down the bridge. Loki caught up to him and they walked silently down it, ready to face Amora's wrath – together.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

><p>"Get down, Thor," Loki whispered, ducking behind some foliage. He reached out and grabbed Thor's sleeve, pulling him down as well. "And be quiet."<p>

"What's happening?" Thor said quietly.

In response, Loki pointed to the inside of the courtyard they were crouched outside of. He put a finger to his lips in a "shhh"-ing motion and returned his attention to the happenings within the open aired building.

Thor strained his ears in an effort to pick up on what Loki was listening to. He soon heard the voices, quiet at first, but gradually growing in volume.

"-And this, Lorelei," he heard Amora drawl, "is where we will make our grand entrance this afternoon when Odin makes his announcement. Once he steps out onto that balcony there, I need you to shoot him down with this dart." There was a rustling which Thor could only assume was Amora handing over the said weapon.

"And after I shoot him, what will you do?" Lorelei's higher pitched voice rang out loudly.

"Not so loud, you ignorant girl! I honestly do not understand how we are related sometimes," Amora muttered angrily. "After Odin is dead, I will walk out on to the balcony and take from him his spear, Gungnir. I will then proclaim myself as ruler of Asgard and tell the citizens of the deaths of their king and two princes." Thor could almost hear Amora's cold smile in her words.

"I must go hide in the palace now and wait for the time to reveal myself," Amora said, and Thor heard her footsteps begin walking towards them at the entrance. "Remember your part of the plan sister."

Thor felt Loki grab him and pull him farther into the bushes as Amora passed them. They waited there for another long moment after the click of her boots faded away before Loki relaxed his grip and stood up. Thor stood up too. He glanced at his little brother, whose deep emerald eyes were dark and glinting with both terror and mischief.

"We must stop Lorelei. If we can halt her part of the plan, Amora won't get her chance," Loki said with a determined grimace.

"I agree. Come. Let us capture her," Thor said and strode boldly into the large courtyard, Loki close on his heels.

It was a spacious area, typically used for public announcements and the like. Thankfully, it was empty. Thor vaguely wondered what sort of announcement his father was going to give today.

Loki walked up and stood beside Thor, eyes scanning the area. Silently, he pointed to a large bush that was seemingly rustling of its own will.

They exchanged glances and quickly walked over to the quivering plant. They stood on either side of it and Thor held up three of his large fingers. He counted them off one at a time and both brothers sprung at the bush, each grabbing one of Lorelei's arms and hoisting her up.

She shrieked and struggled against their grip, but their hands were too strong. Lorelei gave up after a moment and hung there like a dead fish, glaring at each brother in turn.

Her eyes widened when she saw Thor. "Bu-but I th-thought you were dead!" she stammered.

"You thought wrong. Now tell us everything you know," Thor said roughly.

She hesitated, and Thor tightened his grip on her arm. She winced. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!"

Loki and Thor shared a smirk as she began to talk.

**0-o-Ψ-o-0**

Loki watched from behind the heavy curtains as Amora got herself ready for her grand entrance. He thought it was ridiculous how many coats of that mascara makeup she layered on. She changed into her usual attire with a simple snap of her fingers- a green, short long sleeved dress, black and green leggings and her pointy black boots. As a final touch, she placed her trademark green, horned tiara-headband-thing atop her wavy, light blonde hair.

He was growing impatient – this was the seventh time she had checked her appearance in the mirror – when he finally heard the footsteps announcing Odin and Frigga's arrival. She gasped and spun around, turning invisible just as the door to the room creaked open. His father and very-pregnant mother strode in, holding hands. The sight made him smile. They nodded to each other and walked out the doors to the balcony, shutting the doors behind them.

This was Loki's time to act. He boldly stepped from the shadows, standing up straight. As expected, Amora reappeared as well. A shocked expression momentarily flitted across her heavily made-up face, but it quickly turned to a malicious smile.

"Loki!" she cried. "What a pleasant surprise. I had so hoped you'd make it to my coronation party-"

"I know why you're here, and I know what your plan is," Loki interrupted quietly. "You won't succeed."

"Naive little Loki," she said, and waved a hand dismissively. "You don't understand, do you? You are powerless. There is no way you can fight me. Now step out of my way and let me proceed. I may even let you live when I am ruler of Asgard. You could be my right hand man. That's more then you will get when Thor becomes king."

Loki couldn't say the offer didn't tempt him, because quite honestly, it did. He had always liked power, especially when he had it over Thor. But agreeing to her bargain would mean the death of his family and he couldn't risk that.

"No, Amora," he said firmly. "I will not join you."

"Then prepare to die," she said with a terrible smirk curling up her face. She held her palms so they faced the ceiling. Blue flames began dancing across them. Loki noticed with a flash of anger that the purple heart-shaped gem still hung from around her neck- his magic. He needed to get it if there was any chance for his survival.

He lunged at her, successfully breaking the concentration she held as she attempted to perform a lethal spell. Loki knocked her to the ground and reached to rip the necklace from her throat, but she was too quick. She shoved him off of her and stood up, reaching for her magic staff.

Amora pointed it at his heart and started saying deadly words. She shot the ray of power at him but he skillfully dodged it with a roll to the side. Instead the beam hit a table holding several trophies and they clattered to the floor in a loud din.

Amora stood there panting angrily. Loki stood up as well. He reached for his throwing knives, prepared to use them if necessary.

"This is your last chance. Give me that necklace and back off," he said menacingly.

She began to say something in retaliation but Loki lunged at her again. Taken aback, she had no time for a reaction. They both tumbled to the floor and Loki wrenched Amora's hands in front of her.

He grabbed the chains Thor had given him and forced them around her tiny wrists. She struggled, but it was no use. They were magic-draining chains, impossible to get off unless you had the key.

She groaned and let her head flop back onto the cold marble floor.

"This isn't the last time you'll see me, Loki. I'll be back," she said before she knocked herself unconscious. Loki tore the pendant from around her neck. He held it in one hand, not sure what to do with it, but the magic from within it did it all for him.

It started quivering and a tiny crack appeared in the smooth purple surface. Out of that crack flew a tendril of magic and a beam of light. Another crack appeared, and another, until the entire object was seconds from breaking.

By now, the air was filled with light and the tendrils of power. One by one, each strand of magic curled itself inside of Loki and he felt his strength returning.

The gem suddenly gave another tremor and dissolved into powder, which seeped into his palm. He wanted to laugh out of the pure giddiness he felt at having his power, his greatest strength, back once more. He stood up, leaving Amora lying on the floor.

The doors from the balcony suddenly burst open. Odin charged in, Frigga close behind him.

Loki watched his father's blue eyes travel from him, to the trophy table, to Amora, and back to him.

"Loki... My son, are you alright?" Odin asked breathlessly.

This took Loki by surprise. He had expected a reprimanding and angry Odin, but not a sympathetic one.

"I-I..." Loki wasn't sure what to say.

"Thor appeared in the crowd and told us everything that had happened and where you were," Odin explained. Frigga rushed over to hug her youngest son tightly.

"I am fine, Father, Mother," Loki assured them, still staring wide-eyed at Odin. Odin shocked him even further by walking and wrapping his arms around both Loki and the hysterical Frigga.

The doors to the room banged open and Thor marched in. He seemed taken aback by the scene he witnessed, but got over his confusion quickly.

"Group hug!" the eldest brother shouted jovially and dashed to wrap his arms around his parents and brother.


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>"To my sons!" Odin shouted over the crowd at the feast celebrating the brothers' return. The All-Father raised his glass in a toast and the rest of the crowd followed suit.<p>

Up at the head table, Thor and Fandral laughed loudly at a joke Volstagg had told moments before, even coaxing a grin from Hogun the Grim. Sif was carrying on a conversation with Freyja. The rest of the Aesir were eating, drinking, and otherwise making merry.

On the opposite side of Odin sat Loki and Frigga. His mother had insisted Loki sit by her so he could fill her in on all the happenings during his absence. When he mentioned Ande, he felt his face heat up and Frigga gave a knowing smile.

Loki quickly changed the subject.

Odin cleared his throat and stood up again. "Good people of Asgard!" he cried majestically. The feasting hall fell silent. "I am pleased to announce two things of great importance. One, I have decided to end my sons, your princes', banishment earlier than planned for acts of great valor and courage." Thor grinned over at Loki from his place on the high table. Loki felt his typically pale face flush.

"Secondly, I would like to continue the announcement from earlier this evening. I am pleased to announce that in a few short weeks, Asgard will be blessed with a new prince, Balder Odinson." The crowd roared at the prospect of a new royal baby. Loki heard Thor groan with disappointment that he would have to live with the shame of a brother named Balder. He smirked and congratulated his mother, who was glowing with happiness.

The feasting continued, and Loki grew tired of it. Quietly, he slipped from the table to take a walk. There were many things he needed to think about and he needed time alone.

He softly walked down the halls of the palace, heading for the balcony nearest his quarters. Loki had always loved this place; it had a certain aura that made him calm and relaxed.

As he gazed out at the stars, he remembered all of the things he had encountered whilst on Earth: Thor's toddler-pageant obsession, mortal food, mythology, Ande driving a car for the first time...

Ande. He felt a pang of regret as he remembered the promise filled with double meanings he had made. She would probably be expecting him at her locker tomorrow morning as usual. Of course, he would not be there for her. His time on Midgard was spent and he knew it would be long before he returned. She could be dead by the time he came back.

The prospect of never seeing her again made his heart sink. She had been the best thing about his punishment on Earth. He reminisced on their pathetic dance the night of the party and laughed to himself. He hoped he could make it up to her someday.

Footsteps approached him from behind. A hand rested itself on his shoulder and he didn't need to turn to know it was Thor.

"Brother... Are you alright?" Thor asked gently. Thor had always had a knack for picking up on emotions.

"I am fine. Why would I not be? We are home," Loki stated plainly, emotionlessly, refusing to make eye contact.

"Are you thinking about your friend, Ande?" Thor asked pointedly. Loki didn't respond, so he said, "You'll see her again. I promise."

"How can I? Mortal time is so different from our time. It could be a thousand years there before I return," Loki argued.

"No brother, you will see her. I can assure you of it." Thor had always been stubborn with his decisions.

Loki gave up the argument, though he couldn't help but hope his brother was right. He smiled slightly at Thor, and the elder boy returned it sincerely.

The two brothers stood like that, side by side, neither knowing that this might be their last peaceful moment together before the terrible storm destined to come arrived.

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>Author's Note:<span>_ Thank you all for reading, and please leave a review saying what you thought. There are two sequels up as of now, "Vindicated" and "Vulnerable". They basically continue the lives of Loki and Ande together. If you're interested in reading on, please do so.**

**-SketchbookPianist**


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